Abstract

Comparative efficacy and safety of atorvastatin, simvastatin and lovastatin in the management of dyslipidemic Type 2 diabetic patients

Author(s): Molouk Hadjibabaie, Kheirollah Gholami, Hossain Khalili, Seyed Hamid Khoei, Manoochehr Nakhjavani, Kobra Rayati, Atefeh Tohidi, Roja Rahimi and Mohammad Abdollahi

Background: Type 2 diabetic patients frequently have a lipid abnormality that is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Lipid-lowering agents, especially statins, are recommended for use in these patients. Aim: The aim of this open-label, randomized, parallel-group, comparative study was to evaluated the comparative efficacies of three statins – atorvastatin (10 mg), simvastatin (20 mg) and lovastatin (20 mg), once-daily over a period of 12 weeks. Participants: Considering inclusion and exclusion criteria, 53 patients completed the study. Results: In atorvastatin, simvastatin and lovastatin groups, total cholesterol (29, 18 and 21%, respectively), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (37, 19 and 22%, respectively) and triglyceride (41, 26 and 24%, respectively) levels decreased, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (5, 7 and 5% respectively) increased after 12 weeks of treatment in comparison with baseline levels. The differences in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol between the three groups after treatment were not statistically significant (atorvastatin: 48 ± 11 mg/dl; simvasatin: 49 ± 9 mg/dl; and lovastatin: 47 ± 8 mg/dl). Lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels for the atorvastatin group were significantly lower than that of the simvastatin group (96 ± 23 vs 126 ± 41 mg/dl, p = 0.02) after treatment. The levels of other parameters were also lower in the atorvastatin group, although the differences were not significant. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm that among statins, atorvastatin is a better choice for the control of hyperlipidemia in Type 2 diabetic patients.