Statin Therapy
Statins may lower cardiotoxic effect of anthracyclines in early breast cancer treatment
Older women who received early breast cancer treatment with anthracycline experienced fewer HF hospitalizations associated with the cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy when also exposed to statin therapy, researchers reported.
STRENGTH
Omega-3 carboxylic acid (Epanova, Novartis) vs. corn-oil placebo in statin-treated, high CV-risk adults with elevated triglycerides.
Statin initiation for girls of childbearing age requires pregnancy planning discussion
Statin therapy at a young age is safe and effective in preventing future adverse CV events in patients at increased atherosclerotic risk, but girls and women may require counseling for pregnancy planning, a speaker reported.
Statins for primary prevention associated with CV benefit in older adults
Statin use for primary prevention was associated with CV benefits in older adults, without significant risk for development of new-onset diabetes, according to research published in the American Journal of Medicine.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults less likely to take statins for CVD prevention
Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who responded to an online survey were less likely to use statins for primary prevention of CVD compared with other adults, according to new data published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Statins offer limited short-term benefits
Statin therapy appeared to be more beneficial in patients with a life expectancy of more than 2.5 years, a meta-analysis showed. The data also indicated that statins did not provide a mortality benefit.
‘Nocebo effect’ may explain many cases of statin intolerance: SAMSON
Patients who developed symptoms within 2 weeks of statin initiation reported similar side effects while on placebo, suggesting a large proportion of burden owed to the nocebo effect, according to findings from the SAMSON trial.
STRENGTH: No CV benefit with omega-3 carboxylic acid
Administration of high-dose omega-3 carboxylic acid compared with corn oil placebo did not reduce incidence of major adverse CV events among statin-treated adults with elevated triglycerides at high CV risk.
Statin use may not meaningfully reduce CV events in patients on dialysis
Among patients with established atherosclerotic heart disease on dialysis, the effect of statins on CV events was modest at best, according to a study published in the American Heart Journal.
High LDL elevates CV risk in older patients; primary prevention may be appropriate
High LDL in older patients may confer increased risk for atherosclerotic CVD and MI, and therefore this population may benefit from targeted LDL-lowering therapies, according to two studies published in The Lancet.