Costa GS, Julião-Silva LS, Belo VS, de Oliveira HCF, Chaves VE. A systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of atorvastatin on blood pressure and heart rate.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOTHERAPY 2022;
9:100-115. [PMID:
36138492 DOI:
10.1093/ehjcvp/pvac053]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
AIMS
Considering the inconsistencies in the literature on the atorvastatin effect on blood pressure (BP), we performed these meta-analyses.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Through a search of the Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), PubMed, and Web of Science databases, 1412 articles were identified, from which 33 randomized clinical trials (RCT) and 44 pre-clinical were selected. Populations from RCT were stratified according to baseline BP and lipid levels. We performed meta-analyses of the effect of atorvastatin on systolic (SBP), diastolic and mean BP; heart rate (HR); HR variability, and baroreflex. Atorvastatin reduced SBP in the overall population (P = 0.05 vs. placebo; P = 0.03 vs. baseline), in normotensive and hyperlipidaemic (P = 0.04 vs. placebo; P = 0.0001 vs. baseline) and in hypertensive and hyperlipidaemic (P = 0.02 vs. placebo; P = 0.008 vs. baseline) individuals in parallel RCT, but it did not affect SBP in normotensive and normolipidaemic individuals (P = 0.51 vs. placebo; P = 0.4 vs. baseline). Although an effect of atorvastatin was detected in hyperlipidaemic individuals, the meta-regression coefficient for the association of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol reduction with SBP reduction in the overall population demonstrated that SBP reduction is not dependent on the changes in LDL-cholesterol. A meta-analysis of preclinical reports demonstrated that SBP was reduced in atorvastatin-treated hypertensive and normolipidaemic rats (spontaneously hypertensive rats: P < 0.00001), but not in normotensive and normolipidaemic rats (control rats: P = 0.97). Atorvastatin also reduced the HR in spontaneously hypertensive rat.
CONCLUSION
Atorvastatin lowers BP independent of LDL-cholesterol levels. Additional studies are needed to estimate the involvement of the autonomic nervous system in the BP-lowering effect of atorvastatin.
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