Numerous studies have documented the benefits of statins, especially their use in preventing the recurrence of cardiovascular events. Yet most of the research on this widely prescribed class of drugs has focused primarily on its effects in men. Now, a new meta-analysis, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, has investigated whether statins are as effective in women as they are in men.
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center analyzed 11 previous studies that included over 43,000 men and women. Their analysis found that overall, statins reduced the risk of the recurrence of cardiovascular events and stroke, as well as decreasing the rate of all-cause mortality. There was, however, one exception: Women who were taking statins did not have a statistically significant reduced risk of all-cause mortality or stroke compared to women on placebo. Should women be concerned? Well, as the authors point out, Women represented only a fifth of the studied sample, limiting the strength of our conclusions.
In an accompanying editorial, Drs. Fiona Taylor and Shah Ebrahim of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine added: Focusing on a lack of statistical significance in the findings for women is misleading ¦ We suggest that statins work just as well in women as in men.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross agrees with the editorialists observations. While it may seem logical that women s response to statins with respect to secondary prevention should be approximately the same as men s, he says, it s important to include them in trials. And the editorialists commentary also underscore a major flaw in cardiovascular research: There are not enough women enrolled in cardiovascular prevention clinical trials in general.