title: Statin use is associated with lower risk of atrial fibrillation in women with coronary disease: the HERS trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the efficacy of statin treatment in atrial fibrillation (AF) prevention in women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study using data obtained in the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of a multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  2673 Postmenopausal women with coronary disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  AF prevalence at baseline and incident AF over a mean follow-up of 4.1 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  88 Women with AF were identified: 29 at baseline and 59 during follow-up. Women with AF were significantly less likely to be taking a statin at study enrollment than those without AF (22% vs 37%, p = 0.003). Baseline statin use was associated with a 65% lower odds of having AF at baseline after controlling for age, race, history of myocardial infarction or revascularisation and history of heart failure (odds ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13 to 0.93, p = 0.04). The risk of developing AF during the study among those free from AF at baseline, adjusted for the same covariates, was 55% less for those receiving statin treatment (hazard ratio 0.45, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.78, p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statin treatment is associated with a lower prevalence and incidence of AF after adjustment for potential confounders in postmenopausal women with coronary disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vittinghoff
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hulley
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Marcus
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017698:Postmenopause; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors