Related Resources • Importance of CRP levels • Sorting through the statins

By DrRich

Dateline: 03/31/03

A new study published last week in Circulation suggests that, at least in patients with elevated CRP levels, pre-treatment with statin drugs results in a significant reduction in life-threatening "events" following angioplasty and/or stenting.

Elevated CRP levels appear to reflect the presence of inflammation in blood vessels, specifically, the coronary arteries.  Inflammation of the coronary arteries is now thought to be a factor in causing heart attacks. And statins, a family of drugs used for reducing cholesterol levels, are now also known to have a significant anti-inflammatory action.

In this most recent study, doctors from the Cleveland Clinic looked at the relationship between the use of statins and the degree of CRP elevation in 1552 patients who had angioplasty/stenting procedures.  Of these patients, 40% were taking statins prior to the procedure.  This 40% who were taking statins had lower CRP levels than patients not taking statins, and during the follow-up period they had significantly fewer heart attacks and a markedly reduced incidence of death.

These results are consistent with earlier studies showing that statins lower CRP levels, and also with prior studies suggesting that statins ought to be administered to all high-risk patients, whatever their baseline cholesterol levels. 

This latest study implies that CRP levels may be used as a guide for deciding which angioplasty/stent patients should have statins prior to the procedure, but does not prove it.  Some clinicians are now pre-treating ALL angioplasty/stent patients with statins, pending further studies designed to show whether CRP levels can be used as a guide.

The main point, however, is that the use of statins in many angioplasty/stent patients - and perhaps all such patients - appears to greatly reduce the risk of heart attack and death, and that this benefit occurs regardless of the cholesterol levels.

Statins aren't just for cholesterol anymore.