Statin therapy aids heart patients with diabetes

NEW YORK Nov 8 (Reuters) People with diabetes who have suffered a heart attack or episode of severe angina -- collectively known as ''acute coronary syndrome'' (ACS) -- benefit just as much from treatment with a so-called statin drug as those without diabetes, according to an analysis of data from a large statin treatment trial.

The overall results of the trial, published previously, showed a drop in cardiovascular complications for all ACS patients treated with intensive, rather than standard, statin therapy. Examples of statin drugs include Pravachol, Lipitor, Zocor, or Crestor.

The current subgroup analysis centered on 978 subjects with diabetes and 3184 without diabetes who were randomised to receive intensive statin therapy with Zocor, 80 milligrams daily, or standard statin therapy with 40 mg of Pravachol per day. The average follow-up period was 24 months.

Consistent with previous reports, diabetics were significantly more likely than non-diabetics to die during follow-up or experience a heart attack or angina requiring hospitalisation, Dr Christopher P Cannon and colleagues from Harvard Medical School in Boston report in the European Heart Journal.

However, the magnitude of benefit with intensive rather than standard statin therapy was comparable in each group.

Still, even with intensive therapy, 62 per cent of diabetics did not lower their LDL or ''bad'' cholesterol levels as much as doctors would like.

These results highlight the need for additional risk reduction strategies in diabetics, the team emphasizes.

REUTERS PB VC0848