Obesity as a risk factor for coronary events in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia on low-dose simvastatin therapy.

Abstract

AIM:

We previously reported that obesity (defined as a body mass index (BMI) >or=25 kg/m(2)) was not an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) in hypercholesterolemic patients without a history of CHD from the Japan Lipid Intervention Trial (J-LIT). In this study, the obese J-LIT subgroup was further analyzed to assess CHD risk.

METHODS:

In the J-LIT study, patients received simvastatin treatment (usually at 5 mg/day) for 6 years. A total of 38,385 patients (mean age: 57.7+/-7.9, 12,111 men) without prior CHD and/or stroke were analyzed.

RESULTS:

In this cohort, 181 CHD (acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death) were observed. Obesity (n=12,929) was not an independent risk factor for CHD (relative risk; 1.18, 95% confidence interval; 0.87?1.59) after adjustment for the major risk known factors, such as age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and smoking. However, blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose all increased, while high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased, with increased BMI. The percentage of patients having two or three risk factors (such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and DM) also increased with increased BMI.

CONCLUSIONS:

Obesity was not an independent risk factor for CHD in hypercholesterolemic patients on statin therapy; however, it is important to control obesity, a condition in which CHD risks accumulate, in order to improve associated risk factors along with the treatment of each risk factor, thus further reducing the risk of CHD.

• Authors: Yasushi Saito, Toru Kita, Hiroshi Mabuchi, Masunori Matsuzaki, Yuji Matsuzawa, Noriaki Nakaya, Shinichi Oikawa, Jun Sasaki, Kazuaki Shimamoto, Hiroshige Itakura
• Journal: Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis (J Atheroscler Thromb) Vol. 17 Issue 3 Pg. 270-7 (Mar 31 2010) ISSN: 1880-3873 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 20081324 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anticholesteremic Agents
• Simvastatin

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Anticholesteremic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Body Mass Index
• Cohort Studies
• Coronary Artery Disease (complications, drug therapy, ethnology)
• Female
• Humans
• Hypercholesterolemia (drug therapy, pathology)
• Japan
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Obesity (complications, drug therapy, ethnology)
• Risk Factors
• Simvastatin (therapeutic use)