Introduction:
Statins stabilize coronary plaques and reduce clinical events. However, it is unclear how statins change the total plaque burden and plaque morphology.
Hypothesis:
We aimed at investigating whether statin users have less coronary plaque progression compared to non-statins users.
Methods:
We identified 243 subjects undergoing serial computed tomography angiography, 163 taking statins and 80 who are not. Coronary plaque (total, calcified, non-calcified including fibrous, fibrous-fatty and low-attenuation plaque (LAP)) volume was measured using semi-automated plaque software (Qangio, Medis) and its change overtime between statins users and non-statins users was evaluated using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) modeling adjusted for age, gender, diabetic status, presence of hypertension, past smoking use, and baseline plaque levels.
Results:
Subjects on statin therapy had higher body mass index, were more likely to be diabetic, had hyperlipidemia, and were past smokers. Median coronary artery calcium score was significantly lower in the statin group; p<0.034. Driven primarily by changes in fibrous plaque, those on statin therapy showed 25% less total plaque (P=0.013) and 31% less total non-calcified plaque (P=0.006) at follow-up than non-statin users.
Conclusions:
The current study indicates that statin use is associated with less progression of total plaque and total non-calcified plaque burden.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Coronary Plaque Morphology ― A Serial Computed Tomography Angiography Study ―
