Statin therapy helps to control blood pressure levels in hypertensive dyslipidemic patients.
OBJECTIVE
Aside from lowering lipid levels; statins improve endothelial function, decrease platelet aggregation, reduce procoagulant blood factors, and decrease vascular tone. This study was conducted to investigate the possible effect of atorvastatin on blood pressure (BP) in a group of hypertensive and dyslipidemic patients.


METHODS
Thirty-six hypertensive and dyslipidemic patients with inadequately controlled lipid levels by diet were treated with atorvastatin 20 mg/day for 8 weeks and compared with 24-patient matched controls treated with diet alone. The type and dosage of antihypertensive medications were not altered during statin therapy. Blood lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) levels were noted at inclusion and after 8 weeks. Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was carried out at study entry and at the end of week eight.


RESULTS
A total of 49 patients (32 patients in the atorvastatin group and 17 patients in the control group) completed the 3-month follow-up period of observation. The ABPM studies indicated significant reductions in total average systolic BP, total average diastolic BP, total average mean BP, day average systolic BP, day average diastolic BP, night average systolic BP, night average diastolic BP, and night average mean BP levels in the atorvastatin group, whereas these reductions were not observed in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that atorvastatin therapy significantly improves BP control in hyperlipidemic hypertensive patients. However, the effects of other statins on BP, as well as, the different dosages need to be further investigated.
Kanbay
Mehmet
M
Department of Internal Medicine, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. drkanbay@yahoo.com
Yildirir
Aylin
A
Bozbas
Hüseyin
H
Ulus
Taner
T
Bilgi
Muhammet
M
Muderrisoglu
Haldun
H
Akcay
Ali
A
Ozdemir
Fatma Nurhan
FN
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011758:Pyrroles; D014280:Triglycerides; D000069059:Atorvastatin