Background: Lipid-lowering agents are known to reduce long-term mortality in patients with stable angina or multiple risk factors. However, the effects of lipid-lowering treatment on inflammatory process during and immediately after the acute phase of unstable angina remain unclear. In this study we assessed the effects of low-dose atorvastatin treatment, on inflammatory process in patients admitted for unstable angina with low cholesterol level.
Methods: Forty-seven normocholesterolemic patients with unstable angina were randomized into two groups, and received atorvastatin 10 mg/day (n = 24) or no statin (n = 23) for 6 weeks. Circulating levels of inteleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) were measured by their admission, and at the 1st and 6th week of the study.
Results: Serum levels of MCP-1 and sVCAM-1 were significantly increased in the control group (p < 0.05) while remained unaffected in the atorvastatin-treated group six weeks after admission. However, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were similarly decreased in both atorvastatin-treated and control groups.
Conclusion: Low-dose atorvastatin treatment modifies inflammatory process in patients with unstable angina and low cholesterol level, an effect seen at 6 weeks but not 1 week after admission.