title: The relationship between the effect of pravastatin and risk factors for coronary heart disease in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several epidemiologic studies in Japan have shown the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population. The present analysis determined the risk factors for CHD in the MEGA Study, a large primary prevention trial with pravastatin in Japanese with hypercholesterolemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relationship between each baseline characteristic and the risk of CHD for the 5-year study period were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazard model. The multivariable predictors of CHD were sex, age, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), and history of smoking. Serum total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were not independent risk factors for CHD in the current analysis. In addition, the effect of pravastatin was evaluated by subgroups in each risk factor using the interaction in a Cox model. Diet plus pravastatin treatment reduced CHD risk by 14-43% compared with diet alone, regardless of the presence or absence of risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk factors for CHD were sex, age, DM, HT, smoking, and low HDL-C in the MEGA Study. The pravastatin treatment was effective for reducing the risk of CHD, regardless of the presence of risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Department, Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Toshitsugu.Ishikawa@jp.sony.com
authors.forename: Toshitsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
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