title: Usefulness of pravastatin in primary prevention of cardiovascular events in women: analysis of the Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA study).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is well known that statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of statins in women for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease has not been determined. We conducted an exploratory analysis of the effect of diet plus pravastatin therapy on the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in women with data from a large-scale primary prevention trial with pravastatin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with hypercholesterolemia (5.7 to 7.0 mmol/L) and no history of coronary heart disease or stroke were randomized to diet or diet plus pravastatin 10 to 20 mg/d and followed up for > or = 5 years. We investigated the effect of diet plus pravastatin treatment on cardiovascular events in 5356 women during the 5-year follow-up. The incidence of cardiovascular events in the women was 2 to 3 times lower than that in men. The occurrence of cardiovascular events was 26% to 37% lower in the diet plus pravastatin treatment group than in the diet alone group. Although these differences did not reach statistical significance, the overall risk reductions were similar to those in men. Notably, women > or = 60 years of age treated with diet plus pravastatin had markedly higher risk reductions for coronary heart disease (45%), coronary heart disease plus cerebral infarction (50%), and stroke (64%) than did women treated with diet alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with pravastatin in women with elevated cholesterol but no history of cardiovascular disease provides a benefit similar to that seen in men, and this benefit is more marked in older women. This treatment should be considered routinely for primary cardiovascular protection in women with elevated cholesterol levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan. mizunok@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kyoichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakaya
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kushiro
authors.forename: Tamio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teramoto
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease; D004035:Diet Therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D017035:Pravastatin