Pleiotropic Effects of Statins May Improve Outcomes in Atherosclerotic Renovascular Disease

Abstract

Statin therapy was associated with lesser rate of progression of renal insufficiency (with 7.4% of S patients reaching renal end points vs. 38.9% of NS patients) and lower overall mortality (5.9 % in S vs. 36.1% in NS patients), P < 0.001 for both. Although both groups received what was deemed optimal therapy, they did have other differences that may have affected the outcomes (a limitation addressed by Cox multiple regression analysis). These results suggest the need for prospective randomized controlled studies in ARD patients in order to explore potential benefits of statins that may not be attributable solely to lipid lowering.