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 .
Decrease in P-selectin levels in patients with hypercholesterolaemia and peripheral arterial occlusive disease after lipid-lowering treatment
At sites of thrombosis and vascular injury , interactions occur among platelets , leucocytes and endothelial cells . Patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease ( PAOD ) have been shown to have raised total serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides and increased sP-selectin levels when compared with controls . A total of 31 patients with PAOD and hypercholesterolaemia took part in this three-staged study . Soluble P-selectin ( sP-selectin ) levels were significantly lowered after 12 weeks of fluvastatin treatment ( 157.0 ng/ml versus 113.77 ng/ml , p = 0.01 ) , whereas 12 weeks of placebo treatment had no statistically significant effect on sP-selectin levels ( 150.0 ng/ml versus 139.4 ng/ml ) . An unpaired t-test almost reached statistical significance ( p = 0.051 ) when the levels by which sP-selectin fell after 12 weeks of active or placebo treatment were compared . The placebo group was then put onto long-term , active treatment and sP-selectin levels were significantly lowered by fluvastatin when compared to pre-treatment levels ( 150.0 ng/ml versus 110.0 ng/ml , p = 0.03 ) . By lowering the levels of P-selectin , fluvastatin may not only attenuate atherosclerotic progression but may also decrease the platelet activation associated with PAOD
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 .