Simvastatin Reduces Graft Vessel Disease and Mortality After Heart Transplantation

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background Accelerated graft vessel disease (GVD) represents the most serious long-term complication of heart transplantation. A possible cause underlying this progressive coronary vascular disease is believed to be post-transplantation hypercholesterolemia. Methods and Results In a 4-year prospective randomized study with heart transplant recipients, the efficacy of primary antihypercholesterolemic therapy with simvastatin was compared with that of general dietary therapy. The aim of the treatment was to maintain post-transplantation LDL-cholesterol levels at <120 mg/dL. Seventy-two heart transplant recipients receiving standard triple immunosuppression were randomly assigned to an active-treatment group (low-cholesterol diet and simvastatin, n=35) or a control group (general dietary measures, n=37). In the course of 4 years after transplantation, the simvastatin group had significantly lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations than the control group (mean±SD, 115±14 versus 156±17 mg/dL, P=.002), a significan...