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Association of statin therapy with progression of carotid arterial stiffness: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Hypertension Research volume 46, pages 679–687 (2023)Cite this article

A Comment to this article was published on 04 January 2023

Abstract

Arterial stiffness progresses with age and is a predictor of adverse cardiovascular disease events. Studies examining associations of statin therapy with arterial stiffness have yielded mixed results. Associations between the duration and intensity of statin therapy and arterial stiffness have not been studied in a prospective multiethnic cohort. MESA participants (n = 1242) with statin medication use data at each exam (1–5) and who had undergone B-mode carotid ultrasound at baseline and at Exam 5 after (mean ± [SD]) 9.4 ± 0.5 years were analyzed. Carotid arterial stiffness was measured using the distensibility coefficient (DC) and Young’s elastic modulus (YEM). Linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between DC and YEM and statin treatment duration and intensity. At baseline, participants were 66.5 ± 8.1 years old, 41% female, 36% White, 30% African American, 14% Chinese American, and 20% Hispanic. The mean baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was 149.5 ± 14.5 mg/dL. After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and CVD risk factors, the percent changes in DC and YEM were found to not be significantly different in individuals on statin therapy at any combination of visits (1–4) compared to participants never on statin therapy (all p > 0.32). There were also no differences in the percent change in DC and YEM based on statin therapy intensity by quartile (all p > 0.14) over the 10-year follow-up period. Based on the aforementioned results, statin therapy was not associated with changes in carotid artery stiffness over nearly a decade of follow-up regardless of therapy duration or intensity.

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Acknowledgements

MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) and the MESA SHARe project are conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in collaboration with the MESA investigators. Support for MESA is provided by contracts N01-HC95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01-HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168, N01-HC-95169, and CTSA UL1-RR-024156. This article does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of MESA or the NHLBI. A full list of participating MESA investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org. This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the William S. Middleton VA Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Anatoliy Nechyporenko

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Anatoliy Nechyporenko, Claudia Korcarz, Matthew C. Tattersall & Adam D. Gepner

  3. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Yacob G. Tedla

  4. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    Yacob G. Tedla

  5. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Philip Greenland

  6. William S. Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, WI, USA

    Adam D. Gepner

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AN contributed to study design, study analysis, and manuscript preparation. YGT contributed to study analysis and critical manuscript review. CK contributed to study analysis and critical review. MCT contributed to study analysis and critical review. PG contributed to study design and critical review. ADG contributed to study design, study analysis, and manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to Adam D. Gepner.

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Nechyporenko, A., Tedla, Y.G., Korcarz, C. et al. Association of statin therapy with progression of carotid arterial stiffness: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Hypertens Res 46, 679–687 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-022-01095-9

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