The Role of Statins for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in Women

Title: The Role of Statins for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in Women

Volume: 15 Issue: 10

Author(s): Konstantinos Tziomalos, Anna I. Kakafika, Vasilios G. Athyros, Asterios Karagiannis and Dimitri P. Mikhailidis

Affiliation:

Abstract: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the developed world in both men and women. Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are strong and independent vascular risk factors in both genders. Statins effectively decrease LDL-C levels, reduce vascular morbidity and mortality and are an essential component of CHD preventive strategies. However, women are less likely to be prescribed statins than men in both primary and secondary prevention settings. It was argued that there is no conclusive evidence showing that statins are beneficial for the prevention of vascular disease in women, particularly in those without established CHD. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the effects of statins in the prevention of CHD in women. Accumulating data suggest that statins are equally effective in both men and women. The lack of significant effects in some studies appears to be primarily due to the under-representation of women and the ensuing lack of statistical power. Current guidelines for the prevention of vascular disease also recommend a similar management of dyslipidemia in both men and women. Therefore, statin treatment should be implemented with the same criteria and with the same goals in both genders.

Cite this article as:

Tziomalos Konstantinos, Kakafika I. Anna, Athyros G. Vasilios, Karagiannis Asterios and Mikhailidis P. Dimitri, The Role of Statins for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in Women, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2009; 15 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161209787846946