THURSDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Twice-weekly doses of rosuvastatin in patients intolerant of daily statins reduces total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, according to a report published in the June 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Mamatha Gadarla, M.D., of Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., and colleagues reviewed the clinical charts of 40 patients treated with rosuvastatin (5 mg or 10 mg) twice weekly for at least three weeks. The patients were intolerant to at least one statin when taken daily, mostly because of myalgia. Some of the patients were taking other lipid-lowering medications in addition to rosuvastatin.
The researchers found that rosuvastatin -- whether taken alone or added to the other medications -- decreased total cholesterol by 19 percent, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 26 percent and triglycerides by 14 percent. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol did not change. LDL cholesterol reductions were significantly greater in patients on rosuvastatin alone than for those taking rosuvastatin in addition to other lipid-lowering medications.
"The present study was limited by its retrospective design and small sample size," the authors conclude. "Nevertheless, twice-weekly rosuvastatin does effectively lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and could be used in an attempt to treat patients intolerant of other treatment regimens."
Abstract
Full Text
