Statins and all-cause mortality in high-risk primary prevention of patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

摘要

As pointed out in the meta-analysis by Ray et al, as well as by others, the effectiveness of a statin is much more dependant on the specific clinical profile of the individual man or woman considered for treatment, and this therefore relates directly to the selection criteria of the study participants in the individual intervention trials. The composition of the components of cardiovascular risk profile-to name just one relevant factor-will have significant bearing on the effectiveness of the drug in a high-risk subject considered for treatment. For instance, an elderly subject at risk because of hypertension will benefit less from a statin than a normotensive middle-aged person with an unfavorable lipid profile.