Comparative study of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on fibrinogen

Statins have a variable response on fibrinogen, and these changes may have implications on cardiovascular events. In this randomized placebo-controlled crossover study, we evaluated whether changes in fibrinogen levels were different between atorvastatin and other statin-treated patients. Adult coronary heart disease (CHD) patients aged 39-83 years with LDL cholesterol levels ≥130 mg/dl were randomized to atorvastatin 80 mg (n = 84) and one of the following statins: fluvastatin 80 mg (n = 23), lovastatin 80 mg (n = 20), pravastatin 40 mg (n = 22) or simvastatin 40 mg (n = 20) each for 12 weeks in either order. Fibrinogen was analyzed by an automated method of Clauss. Three independently acquired samples were obtained within 1 min of tourniquet application, and each specimen was measured in duplicate. Statistical analyses were performed using a mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance procedure with SAS version 6.12. There were no significant changes in fibrinogen between treatment groups. This study evaluated changes in fibrinogen with established pre-analytical and analytical procedures known to minimize variability in fibrinogen measurement, and we did not observe any differences in fibrinogen levels in the treatment groups.