The effect of statin therapy on vessel wall properties in type 2 diabetes without manifest cardiovascular disease
Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present thesis describes a study, designed at a time-point when no primary prevention trial had yet been performed to investigate the effects of statin therapy on patients with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease. We have performed a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 250 type 2 diabetic patients without manifest cardiovascular disease. The aim of the study was to study non-invasively the effect of two year statin therapy on the vessel wall.\n\nWe found no effect of two year statin therapy on carotid IMT as a reflection of the progress of atherosclerosis. We found no effect on endothelial function as assessed by FMD. The effect of statin therapy on CRP, as a marker for low grade inflammation, was only significant in a high- risk subgroup with the metabolic syndrome and a high LDL-cholesterol. There was no effect of two-year statin therapy on the prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia. In spite of these findings, we observed a lower cardiovascular event rate in patients on statin therapy, which is in line with other clinical trials.
Author: Edith D. Beishuizen
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2147264035