Statins Cut Post-MI Mortality in Patients With High C-Reactive Protein

This impresses me as something that could be a big deal. A 57% reduction in
mortality is a big deal. However, I would like to see the details of the
study - for example I am not clear on how they assigned patients to statins or
not - and confirming studies.

Bill

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Statins Cut Post-MI Mortality in Patients With High C-Reactive Protein


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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sept 20 - Statins reduce one-year mortality after
myocardial infarction in patients with high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels,
but have no effect on survival in such patients with low or normal CRP,
Japanese researchers report in the September 1st issue of the American Journal
of Cardiology.

The study is the first to look at CRP-linked benefits of statins in the
setting of acute MI, rather than stable coronary disease, Dr. Kunihiro Kinjo
of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine and colleagues write.

The researchers evaluated data for 4099 patients at three, six and twelve
months after MI.

Those with CRP concentrations in the highest tertile (greater than 2.9 mg/L)
were classified as having high CRP. Twenty-nine percent of the patients had
been prescribed statins.

Overall, the researchers found, statin therapy reduced the likelihood of
one-year mortality by 57%. Although mortality rates among patients who did not
have high CRP levels did not differ depending on whether or not they were
prescribed statins, statins did reduce one-year mortality rates among those
with high CRP levels.

The researchers divided patients into four groups based on whether or not they
were prescribed statins and whether or not CRP levels were high. Mortality was
highest in the group with high CRP levels not prescribed statins.

They had a seven-fold greater risk of death within a year after MI compared to
patients with normal CRP levels who were not prescribed statins. The mortality
rate among patients with high CRP levels who did take statins was about the
same as for those with low CRP levels who did not take the drugs.

Thus the researchers conclude that "statin therapy was associated with a
marked decrease in mortality among patients who had MI and high CRP levels."

Am J Cardiol 2005;96:671-621.


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