Abstract
Background: In the era of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening, pharmacotherapies to attenuate AAA growth are sought. HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors (statins) have pleiotropic actions independent of their lipid lowering effects and have been suggested as potential treatment for small AAAs. We systematically review the clinical evidence for this effect. Methods: Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1950-2011) were searched for studies reporting data on the role of statin therapy on AAA growth rate. No language restrictions were placed on the search. References of retrieved articles and pertinent journals were hand searched. Included studies were reviewed by 2 independent observers. The search retrieved 164 papers, 100 were irrelevant based on their title, 47 were reviews and 1 was a letter. 8 studies were excluded based on review of their abstract leaving 8 for inclusion in the study. Results: Eight observational clinical studies with a total of 4,466 patients were reviewed. Four studies demonstrated reduced AAA expansion in statin users while 4 studies failed to demonstrate this effect. The method of determining AAA growth rates varied significantly between the studies and the ability of many studies to control for misclassification bias was poor. Conclusions: The claim that statins attenuate AAA growth remains questionable. Further prospective studies with stringent identification and verification of statin usage and a standardised method of estimating AAA growth rates are required. Statin type and dose also merit consideration.
Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm, aneurysm, expansion, growth, statin.
Current Vascular Pharmacology
Title:Statins: The Holy Grail of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Growth Attenuation? A Systematic Review of the Literature
Volume: 12 Issue: 1
Author(s): Jonathan A. Dunne, Marc A. Bailey, Kathryn J. Griffin, Soroush Sohrabi, Patrick A. Coughlin and D. Julian A. Scott
Affiliation:
Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm, aneurysm, expansion, growth, statin.
Abstract: Background: In the era of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening, pharmacotherapies to attenuate AAA growth are sought. HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors (statins) have pleiotropic actions independent of their lipid lowering effects and have been suggested as potential treatment for small AAAs. We systematically review the clinical evidence for this effect. Methods: Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1950-2011) were searched for studies reporting data on the role of statin therapy on AAA growth rate. No language restrictions were placed on the search. References of retrieved articles and pertinent journals were hand searched. Included studies were reviewed by 2 independent observers. The search retrieved 164 papers, 100 were irrelevant based on their title, 47 were reviews and 1 was a letter. 8 studies were excluded based on review of their abstract leaving 8 for inclusion in the study. Results: Eight observational clinical studies with a total of 4,466 patients were reviewed. Four studies demonstrated reduced AAA expansion in statin users while 4 studies failed to demonstrate this effect. The method of determining AAA growth rates varied significantly between the studies and the ability of many studies to control for misclassification bias was poor. Conclusions: The claim that statins attenuate AAA growth remains questionable. Further prospective studies with stringent identification and verification of statin usage and a standardised method of estimating AAA growth rates are required. Statin type and dose also merit consideration.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Dunne A. Jonathan, Bailey A. Marc, Griffin J. Kathryn, Sohrabi Soroush, Coughlin A. Patrick and Scott Julian A. D., Statins: The Holy Grail of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Growth Attenuation? A Systematic Review of the Literature, Current Vascular Pharmacology 2014; 12 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157016111201140327165406
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157016111201140327165406 |
Print ISSN 1570-1611 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-6212 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Ischemic Cardiovascular Diseases: Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Therapy
Ischemic cardiovascular disease includes myocardial infarction, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, angina pectoris, etc., constitute the leading cause of patient mortality by preventing tissues from getting sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Ischemic heart disease, as a clinical condition, is characterized by myocardial ischemia, causing an imbalance between myocardial blood supply and demand, ...read more
TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN CHRONIC AND END STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE
Cardiovascular disease still remains the leading cause of death in Chronic and End Stage Kidney Disease, accounting for more than half of all deaths in dialysis patients. During the past decade, research has been focused on novel therapeutic agents that might delay or even reverse cardiovascular disease and vascular calcification, ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Behçets Disease as an Autoinflammatory Disorder
Current Drug Targets - Inflammation & Allergy Rashes, Sniffles, and Stroke: A Role for Infection in Ischemic Stroke of Childhood
Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets The Small Bowel: An Imaging Guide
Current Medical Imaging Acute Kidney Injury after Complex Endovascular Aneurysm Repair
Current Pharmaceutical Design Screening, Evaluation, and Early Management of Acute Aortic Dissection in the ED
Current Cardiology Reviews Proteomic Analysis of Liver Preservation Solutions Prior to Liver Transplantation
Current Proteomics Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cardiovascular Risk Assessment. Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Rationale for Comparative Studies of Accelerated Atherosclerosis in Rheumatic Diseases
Current Vascular Pharmacology Recent Patents on Electrospun Biomedical Nanostructures: An Overview
Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) Current Management and Treatment of Cerebral Vasospasm Complicating SAH
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Lifestyle Choices and Endothelial Function: Risk and Relevance
Current Vascular Pharmacology Hydrogen Sulfide and Endothelial Dysfunction: Relationship with Nitric Oxide
Current Medicinal Chemistry Angiotensin II and the Cardiac Complications of Diabetes Mellitus
Current Pharmaceutical Design Deubiquitinating Enzymes as Therapeutic Targets in Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Invasive Aspergillosis in Children and Adolescents
Current Pharmaceutical Design Anaerobic Bacteria as a Cause of Mycotic Aneurysm of the Aorta: Microbiology and Antimicrobial Therapy
Current Cardiology Reviews Prevention of Intracerebral Haemorrhage
Current Drug Targets The Rise and Fall of NMDA Antagonists for Ischemic Stroke
Current Molecular Medicine Prevention of Ischemic Stroke: Antithrombotic Therapy in Cardiac Embolism
Current Drug Targets Immunophilins and Cardiovascular Complications
Current Medicinal Chemistry