Lipid-lowering therapy is effective in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in people with PAD .
It may also improve local symptoms .
Until further evidence on the relative effectiveness of different lipid-lowering agents is available , use of a statin in people with PAD and a blood cholesterol level > /=3.5 mmol/litre is most indicated
BACKGROUND Lipid-lowering therapy is recommended for secondary prevention in people with coronary artery disease .
It may also reduce cardiovascular events and /or local disease progression in people with lower limb peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lipid-lowering therapy on all-cause mortality , cardiovascular events and local disease progression in patients with PAD of the lower limb .
A controlled trial of plasma lipid reduction in peripheral atherosclerosis—an interim report
The effects of plasma lipid reduction on the progression of femoral atherosclerosis have been studied in 24 hyperlipidaemic patients with stable intermittent claudication . The patients were r and omized into treatment or ‘ usual‐care ’ groups , the former receiving lipid‐lowering therapy by diet and drugs , and the latter no such treatment . Biplanar femoral arteriography was performed before and after a mean period of 19 months . In the treatment group plasma total cholesterol was decreased by a mean of 25 per cent and plasma triglyceride by more than 40 per cent . Plasma lipids were unchanged in the usual‐care group . Significantly fewer arterial segments showed detectable progression in the treatment group ( P < 0·01 ) . In addition , the mean increment in plaque area ( mm2 per segment per year ) in the treatment group was only 34 per cent of that in the usual‐care group ( P = 0.06 )
Lipid-lowering therapy is effective in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in people with PAD .
It may also improve local symptoms .
Until further evidence on the relative effectiveness of different lipid-lowering agents is available , use of a statin in people with PAD and a blood cholesterol level > /=3.5 mmol/litre is most indicated
BACKGROUND Lipid-lowering therapy is recommended for secondary prevention in people with coronary artery disease .
It may also reduce cardiovascular events and /or local disease progression in people with lower limb peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lipid-lowering therapy on all-cause mortality , cardiovascular events and local disease progression in patients with PAD of the lower limb .