Statin benefits may outweigh risks

Benefits of statin use may outweigh risks for patients with chronic heart failure, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which investigated a diverse population of patients with heart failure who were considered eligible for lipid-lowering therapy.

Researchers from the epidemology unit of US insurance firm Kaiser Permanente found that statin use was associated with a 24% lower relative risk of death compared with not receiving statins. Similarly, statin use was associated with 21% lower adjusted relative risk for hospitalization compared with patients not taking the cholesterol-lowerers.

Despite its important role in preventing cardiovascular events in the general population, the use of statins for heart failure patients has been controversial. Past epidemiologic studies have observed a higher risk of adverse events with the low cholesterol levels in people with heart failure. Statins also lower levels of coenzyme Q and other proteins that could negatively affect heart function and may lead to high levels of toxins that can increase inflammation in those with heart failure, according to researchers. Alan Go of Kaiser Permanente's Resarch Division noted that, since the beneficial association of statins was seen in those with and without coronary artery disease, further trials must look at heart failure patients without an indication to receive statins.