Statins Linked with Progression of Arterial Stiffness Among Adults With High Atherosclerotic Risk

Limited studies have investigated the association between statin use and progression of arterial stiffness, which is seen as a key player in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. To examine the association between statin use and progression of arterial stiffness in adults with high atherosclerotic risk measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity a recent cohort study was conducted and published in JAMA Network.

The study assessed the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity of 5105 adults with high atherosclerotic risk and it found that statin use was associated with lower baseline brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and its slower progression when compared with non–statin users.

Statin users were those who have been prescribed any statin medications at least 6 months before brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity measurements

the results showed that among 5105 adults with assessment of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity 1310 statin users were matched with 1310 non–statin users. Compared with non–statin users, statin users were associated with significantly lower brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity at baseline. Also ,a significantly slower progression of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity was observed in continuous statin users and high adherent users.

Hence, it was concluded that statin use was associated with slower progression of arterial stiffness in adults with high atherosclerotic risk.

Reference: Zhou Y, Wang Y, Wang G, et al. Association Between Statin Use and Progression of Arterial Stiffness Among Adults With High Atherosclerotic Risk. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(6):e2218323. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.18323