Impact of smoking on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary disease receiving contemporary medical therapy (from the Treating to New Targets [TNT] and the Incremental Decrease in End Points Through Aggressive Lipid Lowering [IDEAL] trials)

To define the incremental risk of cigarette smoking in patients with coronary disease receiving contemporary medical therapy, we performed a post hoc analysis of 18,885 patients by combining data from the Treating to New Targets (TNT) and the Incremental Decrease in End Points through Aggressive Lipid Lowering (IDEAL) trials. These studies compared high-dose treatment (atorvastatin 80 mg/day) to moderate-dose treatment (atorvastatin 10 mg/day in TNT and simvastatin 20 to 40 mg/day in IDEAL) in patients with established coronary heart disease. The primary end point of this pooled analysis was major cardiovascular events, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. At baseline 4,196 patients had never smoked, 11,513 were ex-smokers, and 3,176 were current smokers. The adjusted hazard ratio for current smokers compared to never smokers was 1.68 (95% confidence interval 1.46 to 1.94) and that for current smokers compared to ex-smokers was 1.57 (95% confidence interval 1.41 to 1.76). Event rates for current smokers compared to ex-smokers were similarly increased in each treatment group. The difference in absolute event rates between current and ex-smokers in this pooled analysis was 4.5%, which is >2 times as large as the decrease in absolute event rates between high-dose and moderate-dose statin therapy found in the IDEAL (1.7%) and TNT (2.2%) trials, respectively. In conclusion, in patients with coronary disease receiving modern medical therapy, smoking cessation is of substantial benefit with a number needed to treat of 22 to prevent a major cardiovascular event over 5 years. Smoking cessation deserves greater emphasis in secondary prevention.     

联合应用降脂药物的研究进展

冠心病是一种多危险因素所致的慢性疾病,血脂异常是其最重要要危险因素。随着糖尿病和代谢综合征发病率增加,混合性高脂血症患病率也随之增加。大量的循证医学研究证实,调脂治疗防治冠心病,首要目标是降低低密度脂蛋白胆固醇,使其降至目标值。但是,在临床实践当中,单药治疗常常不能使低密度脂蛋白胆固醇达标。目前,单用他汀类药物难以达到指南标准,为增加药物疗效和减少不良反应,需要不同药物的联合运用。     

Design and baseline characteristics of the simvastatin and ezetimibe in aortic stenosis (SEAS) study

Aortic valve stenosis and atherosclerotic disease have several risk factors in common, in particular, hypercholesterolemia. Histologically, the diseased valves appear to have areas of inflammation much like atherosclerotic plaques. The effect of lipid-lowering therapy on the progression of aortic stenosis (AS) is unclear, and there are no randomized treatment trials evaluating cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in such patients. The Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study of a minimum 4 years' duration investigating the effect of lipid lowering with ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/40 mg/day in patients with asymptomatic AS with peak transvalvular jet velocity 2.5 to 4.0 m/s. Primary efficacy variables include aortic valve surgery and ischemic vascular events, including cardiovascular mortality, and second, the effect on echocardiographically evaluated progression of AS. The SEAS Study randomly assigned 1,873 patients (age 68+/-10 years, 39% women, mean transaortic maximum velocity 3.1+/-0.5 m/s) from 173 sites. Other baseline characteristics were mean blood pressure of 145+/-20/82+/-10 mm Hg (51% hypertensive); 55% were current or previous smokers; and most were overweight (mean body mass index 26.9 kg/m2). At baseline, mean total cholesterol was 5.7+/-1.0 mmol/L (222 mg/dl), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 3.6+/-0.9 mmol/L (139 mg/dl), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 1.5+/-0.4 mmol/L (58 mg/dl), and triglycerides were 1.4+/-0.7 mmol/L (126 mg/dl). The SEAS Study is the largest randomized trial to date in patients with AS and will allow determination of the prognostic value of aggressive lipid lowering in such patients.     

Study design and baseline characteristics of patients in the PRESENT study

PRESENT (Physicians' Routine Evaluation of Safety & Efficacy of NovoMix 30 Therapy) is a 6-month observational study of safety and efficacy of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) in 31,044 type 2 diabetes patients from 15 countries. The aim of this article is to describe the study protocol and assess baseline characteristics of patients in various countries according to diabetes duration (<5 years, 5 to or=20 years), to improve treatment decisions in clinical practice. Glycaemic control was similar across all groups: HbA1c 9.3-9.4%; fasting plasma glucose 11.3-11.6 mmol/L; postprandial glucose 15.9-16.3 mmol/L. Major hypoglycaemia was reported by 5% of all patients, minor hypoglycaemia increased with diabetes duration (25.4-30.3%); overall hypoglycaemia rate was 6.7 events/patient/year. Complications increased with diabetes duration; the most reported were hypertension (40.6-71.0%) and hyperlipidaemia (39.4-56.6%). Of patients 38% previously received OADs only, 28% insulin only, 19% insulin with OADs, and 13% received no therapy. Glycaemic control appeared independent of diabetes duration. HbA1c was well above targets and the clinical inertia was quite apparent; even patients with diabetes for <5 years had high HbA1c levels. Patients suffered high rates of complications and hypoglycaemia before starting BIAsp 30 therapy.     

Can Aggressive Lipid Lowering Using Low-Density Lipoprotein Apheresis Prevent Restenosis After Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty in Patients with Normocholesterolemia?

Abstract: We examined whether aggressive lipid lowering using low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis could prevent restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Fifteen patients with 17 lesions underwent LDL apheresis once within a week before and after PTCA and thereafter every 2 or 3 weeks (apheresis group) for about 4 months. The control group consisted of 17 patients with 17 lesions. No patients received additional lipid lowering drugs after PTCA. In the apheresis group, the time interval means of the total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly lower than those in the control group whereas no significant differences were found between the 2 groups regarding the mean percent diameter stenosis or minimal lumen diameter before and after PTCA and at follow-up. The restenosis rate was 29.4% in the apheresis group and 47.1% in the control group. The restenosis rate tended to be slightly lower in the apheresis group. The overall results, however, indicated that aggressive lipid lowering does not prevent restenosis.     

Lipid Lowering Drugs in Atherosclerosis—the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

Arteriosclerosis, particularly coronary heart disease, is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many areas of the world. Elevated cholesterol, particularly LDL-cholesterol, has been shown to be one of the major modifiable factors in reducing coronary events.

Standard hypolipidemic therapies include resin, fibrates and niacin. This review emphasizes a significant new therapeutic class of hypolipidemic agents, namely the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. These are potent cholesterol lowering agents. Lovastatin is the first agent of this class to receive clinical approval in the U.S.A. Simvastatin, an analog of lovastatin, is also approved in several countries. Both these agents are administered as lactones and hydrolyzed to the open acid forms. Another HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor pravastatin has recently been filed for registration in several countries. A fourth compound (SRI-62-320) which is currently in clinical investigation is a totally synthetic structure.

If long-term safety remains good and clinical efficacy as demonstrated by reduction of cardiovascular events is proven, the HMG-CoA reductase class of agents will be a significant advance in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.     

Aggressive versus moderate lipid-lowering therapy in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia: Rationale and design of the Beyond Endorsed Lipid Lowering with EBT Scanning (BELLES) trial

BACKGROUND: Electron beam tomography (EBT) is a noninvasive technique that allows the study of the entire coronary artery tree during a brief imaging session without the injection of any contrast media. Atherosclerosis is identified vicariously through the visualization of coronary calcific deposits. Quantitative assessments of calcium burden, such as calcium volume scores, have been shown to be a useful means to assess treatment-related changes in the extent of atherosclerotic plaques. Historically, the elderly female population has received less medical recognition regarding the risk and severity of coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: In the BELLES (Beyond Endorsed Lipid Lowering with EBT Scanning) trial, the presence of asymptomatic CHD in 600 postmenopausal women will be assessed by EBT. In this 1-year, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study, aggressive lipid-lowering treatment will be compared with moderate lipid-lowering treatment in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia. The hypothesis we will test is that aggressive lipid-lowering therapy with 80 mg/d atorvastatin can produce greater reductions in atherosclerotic plaque burden as assessed by volumetric calcium scores than a moderate treatment with 40 mg/d pravastatin. The primary outcome measure will be the percent change from baseline in total CVS determined by EBT at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the BELLES trial will help assess the actual incidence of CHD in postmenopausal women and the relative ability of two different lipid-lowering therapies to halt its progression.     

The Association Between the Receipt of Lipid Lowering Therapy and HIV Status Among Veterans Who Met NCEP/ATP III Criteria for the Receipt of Lipid Lowering Medication

OBJECTIVE  To examine the association between HIV infection status and the receipt of lipid lowering therapy based on National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP/ATP III) guidelines and to assess whether HIV viral load and hepatitis C (HCV) status alters that association. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN  A cross-sectional analysis of survey, laboratory, and pharmacy data from 1,577 male participants (59% HIV infected) of the Veterans Aging Cohort Five-Site Study, a prospective observational cohort of U.S. veterans with and without HIV infection. MEASUREMENTS  Receipt of lipid lowering therapy obtained from the VA pharmacy benefits management system was the main outcome. RESULTS  The prevalence of lipid lowering therapy among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected veterans was 15.4% vs. 37.9%, respectively, p < 0.01. Among veterans who met NCEP/ATP III criteria for lipid lowering therapy, HIV-infected veterans had a significantly lower prevalence for the receipt of lipid lowering therapy (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (C.I.) 0.28–0.67) as compared with HIV-uninfected veterans. Among HIV-infected veterans, log HIV viral load (adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI, 0.41–0.81) and HIV-HCV co-infection (adjusted OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.13–0.75) were negatively associated with receipt of lipid lowering therapy. Exposure to HAART was not associated with receipt of lipid lowering therapy. CONCLUSIONS  Among those who met NCEP/ATP III criteria for lipid lowering therapy, HIV-infected veterans, particularly those with high HIV viral loads and HCV co-infection, were significantly less likely to receive lipid lowering therapy. This may be a modifiable mediator of cardiovascular disease among HIV-infected individuals.