Lipid-Lowering Therapy is Related to Inflammatory Markers and 3-Year Mortality in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia

Abstract

To evaluate relationships between lipid-lowering therapy, inflammation, and 3-year mortality in critical limb ischemia (CLI), 259 consecutive CLI patients underwent evaluation of medication, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), neopterin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), 8-epi-PGF_{2 α}, and endothelin-1. Mortality was assessed after 3 years. Sixty-one patients (24%) were on lipid-lowering therapy and 59 patients (97%) on statins. Patients on lipid-lowering therapy were younger and showed lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hs-CRP, and IL-6 levels than patients without therapy. Three-year survival was higher among patients on lipid-lowering therapy. In logistic regression, the effect of lipid-lowering therapy on 3-year survival was significant with inflammatory markers entered into the model one by one but disappeared when all inflammatory markers were entered into the model together. In conclusion, hs-CRP and IL-6 levels were lower and 3-year survival was higher in CLI patients on lipid-lowering therapy.

Keywords

critical limb ischemia inflammation risk factors lipid lowering statin

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