title: Are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors underutilized in dialysis patients?
abstract: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treated with dialysis have a dramatically elevated rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population. Lipid-lowering therapy with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors ("statins") has been shown to markedly reduce cardiovascular risk in patients without renal failure, but their effect has not been fully studied in the dialysis population. In this article we will first discuss the known benefits of statin therapy in the general population and summarize the current guidelines for such therapy. We will then examine the evidence linking dyslipidemia and cardiac disease in the dialysis population and discuss possible pathophysiologic mechanisms by which statins could prevent cardiac disease in these patients. We will also review prior clinical studies of the effects of statins in patients on dialysis, with particular attention to the safety and efficacy of these drugs in this population. Finally, we will review how statins are currently being used in the care of dialysis patients and suggest whether an expanded utilization of these drugs could help reduce the enormously high rates of cardiac disease in this patient population.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Seliger
authors.forename: Catherine O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Stehman-Breen
mesh_terms: D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors