The role of statins in the treatment of heart failure

It is well-known that statin therapy results in significant reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease. Findings of observational studies on lipids and heart failure demonstrate that statins prevent the development of heart failure and decrease heart failure-related mortality and hospitalization. It is not clear, however, whether these beneficial effects result from their lipid-lowering actions or pleiotropic actions. Besides, some of the effects of statins (e.g. decreasing coenzyme Q and selenoprotein levels) may lead to adverse consequences. Two studies yielded significant information on the efficacy and safety of statins in patients with heart failure: the CORONA study included patients with ischemic heart failure and the GISSI-HF study included patients with heart failure of any cause. In both studies, 10 mg rosuvastatin reduced blood cholesterol and inflammatory parameters without any effect on mortality. In addition, rosuvastatin caused a decrease in the rate of hospitalization in the CORONA study. Both of these studies are important to demonstrate that rosuvastatin might be safe in patients with heart failure.