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Omega-3 fatty acids with statin therapy reduce major adverse CV events
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Eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, combined with statin therapy significantly reduced the incidence of major adverse CV events, according to a meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
“Overall, this study demonstrated that EPA (in a higher dose, 1,800 mg/day) in conjunction with standard statin therapy could be a very promising drug in preventing major adverse CV events and, therefore, it should be added to the conventional statin therapy at a very early phase for maximal benefits,” Rajkumar Doshi, MD, MPH, internal medicine resident physician at University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “This is especially important, as EPA has mild to none documented side effects but shown to have significant favorable profile as shown in this study.”
Researchers analyzed data from 27,415 patients from five randomized controlled trials that compared EPA plus statin therapy with placebo plus statin therapy and their effects on outcomes related to CV health.
Compared with statin alone, EPA with statin therapy reduced the incidence of major adverse CV events by 18% (OR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93) and the incidence of MI by 30% (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.61-0.82).
The number needed to treat for major adverse CV events was 49. The statistical significance for a reduction in the incidence of major adverse CV events with EPA and statins was strengthened through trial sequential analysis.
There was no significant association with EPA and statin and the incidence of stroke when compared with statin therapy alone (1.93% vs. 2.2%, respectively; OR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.59-1.18). This was also seen for all-cause mortality (4.12% vs. 4.26%; OR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.77-1.2).
“These findings add to the growing body of knowledge regarding the benefits of adding EPA to statins, and it might influence the current clinical practice and generate changes in the management as well as prevention of cardiovascular events,” Doshi and colleagues wrote. – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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