Abstract 207: Impact of Statins’ Therapy on the Fasting Blood Glucose Level of Cardiac Patients

Background: recent studies have shown the crucial role of statins in diabetic patients. Cardiac patients need statins to reduce the abnormal levels of lipoproteins and as prophylaxis against other cardiovascular risks. Objectives: this study aims to determine the impact of types and dose of statin on the glucose level of cardiac patients. Methods: a prospective study was conducted among 217 cardiac outpatients at the cardiac clinic of a governmental hospital in Malaysia. These patients were categorized into three groups based on statins used; 54 patients with atorvastatin, 84 patients with simvastatin and 79 patients with lovastatin. Required information relating to statin therapy and fasting blood sugar (FBS) for five visits (3 months per visit) was collected from patients’ progress file. Repeated measured ANOVA with multiple factors and post-hoc tests were used to determine the differences in FBG among statins. Results: simvastatin raised the FBG level more than lovastatin and atorvastatin, respectively. Atorvastatin was significantly the only statin type that reduced the FBG based on the number of visits. Atorvastatin reduced FBG in fifth visit to the minimum level compared to the first visit (5.72 mmol/L vs 6.52 mmol/L), while in simvastatin and lovastatin groups, FBG increased to the maximum level compared to the first visit (12.91 mmol/L vs 6.98 mmol/L, and 8.05 mmol/L vs 6.52 mmol/L), respectively. As to the statin dose, 40 mg induced significantly abnormal increase in FBG compared to 20 mg and 10 mg, especially simvastatin and lovastatin, respectively. Chinese patients were more susceptible to abnormality in FBG compared with Malay and Asian Indian patients. Cardiovascular diabetic patients significantly got more abnormality in FBG than cardiac non-diabetic patients. The predictors interactions of statin types with the number of visits, dose, race and diabetes mellitus were significantly affected the abnormal increase in FBG. Conclusions: atorvastatin is the appropriate lipid lowering agent recommended to be used by cardiac patients. Dose and duration of statin therapy must be adjusted to avoid the abnormal increase of FBG especially among cardiac diabetic patients.