Evaluation of Statin Mechanism Preventing Cardiovascular Disease by Post-hoc Analysis of Treating to New Targets Study

Epidemiological studies have shown that serum cholesterol level is correlated with Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk, and that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk increases with increasing LDL cholesterol levels. Fortunately, it has been confirmed that cholesterol-lowering therapy is effective in preventing Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), and cholesterol lowering with statin therapy is a primary strategy in the prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Despite the fact that statins reduce both LDL cholesterol and future cardiovascular outcome, the association of statin intensity and the achieved level of LDL cholesterol with cardiovascular outcome has not been fully elucidated, because statins have pleiotropic effect as well as LDL lowering effect. The effect of statin on future Cardiovascular (CV) outcome seems to be more associated with statin intensity relating pleiotropic effects rather than with achieved LDL cholesterol level, because LDL-lowering by inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis is linked to reciprocal increment of cholesterol absorption from the intestine.