A new study to assess the benefits and harms of early administered statins in patients with ACS from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has demonstrated that long-term therapy with statins (for at least one year) has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and all cause mortality in patients with and without established coronary heart disease. The early period following an acute coronary syndrome is a critical stage of coronary heart disease with a high risk of recurrent events and death. We aimed to determine if early initiation of statins reduces the risk for patient-relevant outcomes already within the first four months following an acute coronary syndrome. This review identified 18 studies, enrolling 14,303 patients. We did not find a significant risk reduction for all-cause mortality, heart attack, or stroke. The risk for unstable angina was reduced by about 25% at four months following acute coronary syndrome. Serious side effects from early treatment with statins were rare (0.1%), and serious muscle toxicity was mostly observed with simvastatin 80 mg.
A new study to assess the benefits and harms of early administered statins in patients with ACS from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has demonstrated...
