Abstract
The evidence of the effectiveness of statins in the treatment of stable coronary heart disease (CHD) continues to grow. Large-scale, randomized, secondary-prevention trials involving patients with CHD have shown that statins reduce the clinical consequences of atherosclerosis, including death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina pectoris and heart failure, as well as the need for coronary revascularization. Current guidelines recommend a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level of less than 100 mg per deciliter (2.6 mmol per liter) as the goal for patients with stable CHD and a goal of 70 mg per deciliter (1.8 . . .