Efficacy and Safety of Long-term Coadministration of Fenofibrate and Ezetimibe in Patients with Combined Hyperlipidemia: Results of the EFECTL Study.

AIM: We investigated the safety and efficacy of a long-term combination therapy with fenofibrate and ezetimibe in Japanese patients with combined hyperlipidemia, in comparison with fenofibrate or ezetimibe alone. METHODS: The study was a three-arm parallel-group, open-label randomized trial. Eligible patients were assigned to a combination therapy with fenofibrate (200 mg/day in capsule form or 160 mg/day in tablet form) and ezetimibe (10 mg/day), the fenofibrate monotherapy, or the ezetimibe monotherapy, which lasted for 52 weeks. The changes in serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were the primary outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 236 patients were assigned to one of the three treatments, and the number of patients included in the final analysis was 107 in the combination therapy, 52 in the fenofibrate monotherapy, and 51 in the ezetimibe monotherapy. Mean±SD changes in LDL cholesterol were -24.2%±14.7% with combination therapy, -16.0%±16.0% with fenofibrate alone, and -17.4%± 10.1% with ezetimibe alone. The combination therapy resulted in a significantly greater reduction in LDL cholesterol as compared with each monotherapy (p＜0.01 for each). The corresponding values for triglycerides were -40.0%±29.5%, -40.1%±28.7%, and -3.4%±32.6%, respectively. Fenofibrate use was associated with some changes in laboratory measurements, but there was no differential adverse effect between the combination therapy and fenofibrate monotherapy. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy with fenofibrate and ezetimibe substantially reduces concentrations of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and is safe in a long-term treatment in Japanese patients with combined hyperlipidemia.

The change in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration is positively related to plasma docosahexaenoic acid but not eicosapentaenoic acid.

AIM: The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) reported a 19% reduction of the risk for coronary artery disease after long-term use of pure eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia. The variation in plasma fatty acid composition influenced the risk of coronary events. The aim of this study was to examine in JELIS participants the possible correlation of changes in plasma fatty acids with those of serum lipids. METHODS: The coefficient for the correlation between the absolute change in plasma fatty acid concentrations and the changes in serum lipids was calculated in 13,901 JELIS participants. RESULTS: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol exhibited a positive correlation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; r=0.117 in control group, r=0.155 in EPA group) and linoleic acid (r=0.139 in control group, r=0.177 in EPA group), but the correlation coefficients with EPA (r=0.097 in control group, r=-0.032 in EPA group) were less than 0.1. We distributed the patients into 9 groups according to tertiles of the change in EPA and DHA. The average absolute decrease of LDL cholesterol and L/H ratio in each group was significantly smaller (p<0.001) in the DHA-high tertile, but not in any EPA tertile. CONCLUSION: The changes in DHA, but not in EPA, showed a positive correlation with the changes in LDL-cholesterol.

The effect of low-dose pravastatin in metabolic syndrome for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Japan: a post hoc analysis of the MEGA study.

The Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA) Study demonstrated the beneficial effect of low-dose pravastatin treatment (10-20 mg/d) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Japanese patients with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia. However, it is not known whether mild lipid modification is effective even for patients at high risk. In this study, we evaluated low-dose pravastatin treatment in patients with metabolic syndrome in the MEGA Study. Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) was defined according to the modified US National Cholesterol Education Program criteria. There were 72 coronary heart disease (CHD) events and 130 CVD events in 2636 patients with MetSyn, and 70 CHD events and 125 CVD events in 5196 patients without MetSyn (hazard ratios 1.85 and 1.90, respectively). No significant risk reduction in CHD was found in the diet plus pravastatin group compared with the diet group patients with MetSyn (hazard ratio .78, P = .29). On the other hand, there was a significant 36% CVD risk reduction (P = .01) in the diet plus pravastatin group compared with the diet group patients with MetSyn, with a small number needed to treat (45). These results indicate that low-dose pravastatin provides a substantial beneficial effect for the prevention of CVD in Japanese patients with MetSyn without known CVD, a population at proportionally high risk in primary prevention.

Risk factors for cardiovascular events in Japanese patients treated with fluvastatin from the long-term event monitoring (LEM) study.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term event monitoring (LEM) study evaluated the lipid-lowering efficacy and safety of fluvastatin in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia. The present sub-analysis focused on the impact of risk factors on event prevention. METHODS: In the LEM study, patients (n=21,139) who started fluvastatin between 2000/4/1 and 2002/3/31 in Japan were prospectively registered and followed up for 3 years (secondary prevention cohort) or 5 years (primary prevention cohort). RESULTS: Of the patients registered, 19,084 were included in this sub-analysis. The secondary prevention group, demonstrated 8.27- and 2.89-fold higher incidence in cardiac events and cerebral events, respectively compared with the primary prevention group (P < 0.001). Complications of cerebrovascular disease demonstrated a 2.22- and 5.29-fold higher incidence in cardiac events and cerebral events (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). Presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients without complication significantly increased the incidence in both cardiac events (2.37) and cerebral events (2.15) as compared with non-DM patients for primary prevention (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively). For the secondary prevention, DM patients with complication of cardiac disease showed a significantly higher incidence in both cardiac events (1.59) and cerebral events (3.79) compared with non-DM patients (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In contrast, DM patients with complications of cerebrovascular disease showed a significantly higher incidence in cerebral events (2.58, P < 0.05), but not cardiac events compared with non-DM patients. Similarly, the presence of hypertension significantly increased the incidence in both cardiac (1.64) and cerebral events (1.81) for primary prevention (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). For secondary prevention, hypertension in patients with complication of cardiac or cerebrovascular disease did not affect incidence in both cardiac and cerebral events. In the patients without complication, high triglycerides and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), but not low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), increased cerebral events, while only LDL-C significantly increased cardiac events. For secondary prevention, high triglycerides or low HDL-C, but not LDL-C, significantly increased the relative risk of cardiac events in the patients with complication of cardiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: The LEM study, a large-scale prospective study of long-term fluvastatin treatment for hypercholesterolemia in Japanese patients, demonstrated high impact of complications such as DM and hypertension as well as high triglycerides or low HDL-C on cardiac and cerebral events. After long-term statin treatment, the control of other factors rather than LDL-C alone might be important to avoid vascular events.

Relationship between coronary artery disease and non-HDL-C, and effect of highly purified EPA on the risk of coronary artery disease in hypercholesterolemic patients treated with statins: sub-analysis of the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS).

AIM: The present study examined the importance of reducing non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) for the primary prevention of the occurrence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the JELIS, and the effects of EPA. METHODS: The patients were distributed into 4 subgroups using the lipid management goal for LDL-C recommended by the Japan Atherosclerosis Society guideline (2007) and the goal for non-HDL-C defined as 30 mg/dL higher than LDL-C: A) achieved both goals; B) achieved the LDL-C but not non-HDL-C goal; C) achieved the non-HDL-C but not LDL-C goal; and D) did not attain either goal. The incidences of CAD in the 4 subgroups were compared, and the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on the risk of CAD in these subgroups were examined. RESULTS: In the non-EPA group, the incidence of CAD in patients who did not achieve the goals for LDL-C or non-HDL-C was higher than in patients who achieved those goals. Patients in subgroups B, C, and D were at higher risk for CAD than those in subgroup A (B, HR 2.31; C, HR 1.90; D, HR 2.47). EPA reduced the risk of CAD by 38% in subgroups B, C, and D (p= 0.007). CONCLUSION: We reconfirmed non-HDL-C as a predictor of the risk for CAD and a residual risk marker of CAD after LDL-C-lowering therapy. EPA was useful to reduce the occurrence of CAD in patients who did not achieve the goals for LDL-C and/or non-HDL-C.

Usefulness of LDL-C-related parameters to predict cardiovascular risk and effect of pravastatin in mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia.

AIM: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), the ratio of LDL-C to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; LDL-C/HDL-C), and non-HDL-C were evaluated to determine their ability to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk with pravastatin treatment. METHODS: We conducted a large-scale randomized primary prevention trial in Japan (MEGA Study), in which we randomly allocated 7832 mild hypercholesterolemic patients to diet alone (n= 3966) and diet plus pravastatin groups (n= 3866) and followed them for an average of 5 years. We compared baseline levels and the CVD incidence in the diet alone group, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves in the overall population. To determine the best parameter for predicting the efficacy of pravastatin, the diet plus pravastatin group was divided into tertiles to compare lipid parameters and CVD incidence versus the diet alone group. RESULTS: Significantly graded correlations were found between CVD and LDL-C/HDL-C and non-HDL-C. Significantly more CVD events were associated with non-HDL-C [corrected] > 186 mg/dL and LDL-C/HDL-C > 2.9. Furthermore, LDL-C/HDL-C or non-HDL-C was more predictive than LDL-C. By measuring LDL-C/HDL-C or non-HDL-C, we allocated 32% of the diet plus pravastatin group into a different risk category. The lowest significant incidence of CVD was found in patients with LDL-C 119.8-133.4 mg/dL, LDL-C/HDL-C < 1.9, and non-HDL-C 145.2-160.8 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: Non-HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C have a greater ability to predict CVD risk in mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemic Japanese individuals than LDL-C, and are more useful to evaluate the effect of pravastatin; however, these parameters should be interpreted independently when assessing CVD risk.

Low-dose pravastatin and age-related differences in risk factors for cardiovascular disease in hypercholesterolaemic Japanese: analysis of the management of elevated cholesterol in the primary prevention group of adult Japanese (MEGA study).

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available regarding the relationship between age and the effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present analysis was to evaluate the relationships between age, baseline patient characteristics, and pravastatin treatment with respect to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA) study, a large-scale clinical study conducted in Japanese patients with mild or moderate hyperlipidaemia to evaluate the primary preventive effect of pravastatin against coronary heart disease. METHODS: To compare the prevalence of CVD risk factors, the incidence of CVD in relation to each risk factor, and final values and changes in lipid parameters, the 7832 patients were classified into six age groups: <45, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and ≥65 years. The relationship between pravastatin (10-20 mg/day) treatment efficacy and aging and the incidence of events in relation to the age groups were compared using the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The prevalences of diabetes mellitus and hypertension were higher in older men than in younger men, while the prevalences of smoking and obesity were higher in younger men. However, a similar difference in risk factors was not seen in women. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was higher in women than in men across all age groups. Triglycerides were higher in younger men than in older men and all groups of women. The mean follow-up levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were lower in older patients than in younger patients. Pravastatin (10-20 mg/day) reduced the risk of CVD by about 30-40% across all age groups, and there was no difference between men and women. Of particular note in this analysis, CVD risk was markedly reduced in older women compared with younger women (53% vs 30% in women aged ≥65 vs ≥45 years). CONCLUSION: A similar satisfactory risk reduction for CVD was achieved with low-dose pravastatin in all men and in older women in particular, despite differences in the prevalence of risk factors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00211705.

Long-term event monitoring study of fluvastatin in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia: Efficacy and incidence of cardiac and other events in elderly patients (≥ 65 years old).

OBJECTIVE: This long-term event monitoring (LEM) study was designed to evaluate the long-term lipid-lowering efficacy and safety of fluvastatin (Lochol®, Novartis A.G.) along with the incidence of cardiac and other events, and safety of fluvastatin in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Patients (n = 21,139) who started fluvastatin between April 1, 2000 and March 31, 2002, across 2563 centers in Japan were prospectively registered and followed up for 3 years (secondary prevention cohort) or 5 years (primary prevention cohort). RESULTS: Of the patients registered, 19,084 were included in this analysis. Levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly in the primary (-27.1% and -18.8%) and secondary (-25.3% and -18.4%) prevention cohorts. Reductions in LDL-C (-22.1 vs. -18.2%, p < 0.0001) and TC (-16.1 vs. -13.1%, p < 0.0001) levels were significantly greater among patients aged ≥ 65 than < 65 years old. Overall, 1.7% (146/8563) and 1.1% (93/8563) of patients aged ≥ 65 years old experienced confirmed cardiac and cerebral events, compared with 1.1% (112/10,517) and 0.3% (28/10,517) of patients aged < 65 years old (p = 0.0002 and < 0.0001, respectively). Incidence of cardiac and cerebral events was lowest in patients aged < 65 years old in the primary prevention cohort and highest among patients aged ≥ 65 years old in the secondary prevention cohort. Adverse events were reported in 7.9% (1501/19,084) of patients. CONCLUSION: This large-scale, prospective, uncontrolled study confirmed the lipid-lowering efficacy and safety of long-term fluvastatin treatment for hypercholesterolemia in Japanese patients aged ≥ 65 years old. The higher incidence of cardiac and cerebral events in patients aged ≥ 65 years old in the secondary prevention cohort reflects a high-risk clinical profile with multiple classic risk factors warranting multifactorial interventions.

Relationships between plasma fatty acid composition and coronary artery disease.

AIM: The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) was the first prospective randomized clinical trial to demonstrate prevention of coronary events by pure eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between various plasma fatty acid concentrations and the risk of coronary events in JELIS participants. METHODS: In 15,534 participants, we calculated the hazard ratio for major coronary events (sudden cardiac death, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, and angioplasty/stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting) relative to the on-treatment average level of plasma fatty acids with the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: As a result of EPA intervention, the plasma EPA concentration increased, but the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentration did not. The other fatty acids measured decreased slightly. The higher plasma level of EPA (hazard ratio=0.83, p=0.049, in all participants and hazard ratio=0.71, p=0.018, in the EPA intervention group), but not of DHA, was inversely associated with the risk of major coronary events. The associations between other fatty acids and the risk of major coronary events were not significant. In all JELIS participants, the risk of major coronary events was significantly decreased (20%) in the group with high (150 µg/mL or more) on-treatment plasma EPA concentration compared with that in the low (less than 87 µg/mL) group. CONCLUSION: The risk of coronary artery disease is influenced by variations in plasma fatty acid composition. Among n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA exhibited differences in the correlation with the risk of major coronary events.

Association between lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with pravastatin and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in mild to moderate hypercholesterolemic Japanese.

AIMS: To evaluate the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) change and reduction of cardiovascular disease in the Management of Elevated cholesterol in the primary prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA) study. METHODS: Patients in the diet plus pravastatin group were divided into tertiles by their on-treatment LDL-C level, and the hazard ratios (HRs) in each tertile were compared with the diet group at 5 years using the Cox proportional hazards model. In addition, the treatment groups were combined and divided into quintiles according to the on-treatment LDL-C level during follow-up, and the incidence of cardiovascular events was compared among the 5 groups. RESULTS: In the tertiles of the diet plus pravastatin group, HR was lowest in the second tertile against the diet group (HR 0.57, p=0.01) with on-treatment LDL-C range of 119.8-133.4 mg/dL. In the analysis of quintiles of the total population, a significant risk reduction of CVD was found in the fourth quintile (HR 0.48, p=0.0015) with an on-treatment LDL-C range of 120.9-133.3 mg/dL, and in the fifth quintile (HR 0.64, p=0.048) with an on-treatment LDL-C range of 56.7-120.8 mg/dL against tertile 1 with an on-treatment LDL-C range of 157.5-206.2 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: The usual Japanese dose of pravastatin therapy is sufficient in this low-risk patient population to reduce cardiovascular risk, with an achieved LDL-C level <133.4 mg/dL. Further risk reduction was not found with an achieved LDL <120 mg/dL.

Preventive effects of eicosapentaenoic acid on coronary artery disease in patients with peripheral artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The JELIS trial examined the preventive effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on coronary artery disease (CAD) in hypercholesterolemia. Previous investigators have reported that patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a poor prognosis due to the potential risk for CAD. We conducted a subanalysis to examine whether the incidence of CAD was high in patients with PAD and whether EPA prevented the occurrence of CAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 18,645 the Japan EPA lipid intervention study (JELIS) patients, 223 had PAD (control group; complicated (n=77), newly diagnosed (n=29), EPA group; complicated (n=96), newly diagnosed (n=21)). We analyzed the incidence of major coronary events (MCE) in the 2 groups. Cox proportional hazard ratio adjusted for baseline risk factor levels was used to test differences between the 2 groups. The incidence of MCE in the control group was significantly higher in patients complicated with PAD and in those newly diagnosed with PAD than in patients without PAD (complicated: hazard ratio 1.97, P=0.039; newly diagnosed: hazard ratio 2.88, P=0.030). As for patients with PAD, the EPA group had a significantly lower MCE hazard ratio than the control group (hazard ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.19-0.97, P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Subanalysis of the JELIS trial demonstrated that in patients with PAD the incidence of CAD was higher than in controls, and that EPA markedly reduced the occurrence of CAD in those patients.

Obesity as a risk factor for coronary events in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia on low-dose simvastatin therapy.

AIM: We previously reported that obesity (defined as a body mass index (BMI) >or=25 kg/m(2)) was not an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) in hypercholesterolemic patients without a history of CHD from the Japan Lipid Intervention Trial (J-LIT). In this study, the obese J-LIT subgroup was further analyzed to assess CHD risk. METHODS: In the J-LIT study, patients received simvastatin treatment (usually at 5 mg/day) for 6 years. A total of 38,385 patients (mean age: 57.7+/-7.9, 12,111 men) without prior CHD and/or stroke were analyzed. RESULTS: In this cohort, 181 CHD (acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death) were observed. Obesity (n=12,929) was not an independent risk factor for CHD (relative risk; 1.18, 95% confidence interval; 0.87?1.59) after adjustment for the major risk known factors, such as age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and smoking. However, blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose all increased, while high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased, with increased BMI. The percentage of patients having two or three risk factors (such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and DM) also increased with increased BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity was not an independent risk factor for CHD in hypercholesterolemic patients on statin therapy; however, it is important to control obesity, a condition in which CHD risks accumulate, in order to improve associated risk factors along with the treatment of each risk factor, thus further reducing the risk of CHD.

Incremental effects of eicosapentaenoic acid on cardiovascular events in statin-treated patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Results from JELIS (Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study) demonstrated the efficacy of pure eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in preventing coronary artery disease (CAD) in hypercholesterolemic patients under statin treatment. The present study examined in detail whether EPA is effective for the secondary prevention of CAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with established CAD and a total cholesterol level > or =250 mg/dl were observed with a mean follow-up of 4.6 years. They were randomly assigned to receive either 1,800 mg of EPA + statin (EPA group) or statin alone (control group). The incidence of major coronary events (MCE) were compared in the 2 groups. The incidence of MCE was significantly lower in the EPA group (8.7% vs 10.7%, adjusted hazard ratio =0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-0.96, P=0.017, number needed to treat (NNT) =49). Among 1,050 patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI), the incidence of MCE in the EPA group (15.0%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (20.1%, adjusted hazard ratio =0.73, 95%CI 0.54-0.98, P=0.033, NNT =19). CONCLUSIONS: EPA is effective for secondary prevention of CAD, especially in individuals with prior MI, and should be added to conventional treatment.

Risk factors for stroke and lipid-lowering effect of pravastatin on the risk of stroke in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia: analysis of data from the MEGA Study, a large randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to clarify the risk factors for stroke, and to investigate the effect of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering with pravastatin on the risk of stroke, in Japanese mild-to-moderately hypercholesterolemic patients enrolled in the MEGA Study. METHODS: Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the baseline risk factors for stroke. The proportion of treatment effect (PTE) explained by on-treatment LDL-C levels was estimated. RESULTS: In 7832 patients at risk, a total of 99 strokes were observed during the 5-year follow-up period. Significant relationships were observed between stroke and traditional risk factors such as male sex, advanced age, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]), hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking. In the pravastatin group, hazard ratio (HR) for stroke adjusted by on-treatment lipid level was lower than the unadjusted value versus control (HR [95%CI], 0.48 [0.26-0.87] and 0.59 [0.38-0.92], respectively)--giving a negative PTE of -38.6% and suggesting that the risk reduction could not be explained by LDL-C lowering alone. CONCLUSIONS: Male sex, aging, hypertension, diabetes, low HDL-C, high Lp(a), obesity, and smoking were determined as risk factors for stroke in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia, and the observed risk reduction could not be explained by pravastatin's LDL-C-lowering effect alone, suggesting pleiotropic effects.

Suppressive effect of EPA on the incidence of coronary events in hypercholesterolemia with impaired glucose metabolism: Sub-analysis of the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS).

BACKGROUND: JELIS was a large-scale clinical trial that investigated the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on coronary artery disease (CAD). In this paper, the data of patients registered in JELIS were analysed to compare the incidence of CAD between patients with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) and normoglycemic (NG) patients. The effect of EPA on the incidence of CAD in patients with IGM was also assessed. METHODS: The 18,645 hypercholesterolemic patients registered in JELIS were divided into two groups. One group consisted of patients with IGM (n=4565), which included the patients who had diabetes mellitus and patients who had a fasting plasma glucose of 110mg/dL or higher, either at the time of registration or after 6 months. The other group consisted of NG patients (n=14,080). CAD incidence of the two groups over the average 4.6-year follow-up period was compared, and the effect of EPA was assessed. RESULTS: Compared to NG patients, IGM patients had a significantly higher CAD hazard ratio (1.71 in the non-EPA group and 1.63 in the EPA group). The treatment with EPA resulted in a 22% decrease in the CAD incidence (P=0.048) in IGM patients and an 18% decrease (P=0.062) in NG patients. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the CAD risk in IGM patients is higher than in NG patients, and that highly purified EPA is very effective in decreasing the incidence of CAD among Japanese IGM patients, even though the intake of fish is high.

Pravastatin for cardiovascular event primary prevention in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension in the Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA) Study.

Lipid-lowering therapy in individuals with high risk of cardiovascular disease reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. However, few studies have assessed the benefits of cholesterol lowering for primary prevention of coronary heart disease in hypertensive patients with mild dyslipidemia or without conventional dyslipidemia. The large, randomized Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese Study showed a 33% reduction in coronary heart disease incidence with pravastatin as the primary prevention in Japanese patients. We conducted an exploratory analysis of the effect of diet plus pravastatin therapy on the primary prevention of cardiovascular events (coronary heart disease, coronary heart disease plus cerebral infarction, and cardiovascular disease) in the 3277 patients with hypertension during the 5-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in mean baseline total cholesterol, blood pressure levels, or variation in blood pressure during the 5-year period between the diet (n=1664) and diet plus pravastatin (n=1613) groups. In the diet plus pravastatin group, the relative risk of coronary heart disease plus cerebral infarction was reduced by 35% (hazard ratio: 0.65; CI: 0.46 to 0.93; P=0.02), cerebral infarction by 46% (hazard ratio: 0.54; CI: 0.29 to 0.98; P=0.04), and cardiovascular disease by 33% (hazard ratio: 0.67; CI: 0.49 to 0.91; P=0.01). In patients without a history of cardiovascular disease who have hypertension and mildly elevated cholesterol, pravastatin was effective in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease, particularly cerebral infarction. Hence, in patients with hypertension with mildly elevated cholesterol levels, treatment with a statin is advisable to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Practical risk prediction tools for coronary heart disease in mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia in Japan: originated from the MEGA study data.

BACKGROUND: A simple and practical risk prediction tool for coronary heart disease (CHD) to determine the specific risk level in each patient that fits the true clinical practice setting is needed and would be valuable in Japan. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 5-year risk prediction score and chart for CHD based on the MEGA study data was developed in the present study. The MEGA risk prediction score and chart were constructed based on the coefficient of each risk factor. The risk factors included in these risk prediction tools were: treatment (diet, diet plus pravastatin), sex, age, baseline high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, baseline low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, glucose abnormality (diabetes and impaired fasting glucose), hypertension, and smoking. The MEGA risk prediction score comprised the risk score for each risk factor, and it can predict 5-year risk for CHD with 5 levels of risk, based on the total risk score. The MEGA risk prediction chart more accurately predicts risk, by reflecting the accumulation of risk factors and using an 8-color visual chart. CONCLUSIONS: The MEGA risk prediction score and chart, developed from the MEGA study data, more easily and accurately assesses the 5-year CHD risk in mild to moderate hypercholesterolemic patients in the usual clinical practice setting in Japan.

The relationship between the effect of pravastatin and risk factors for coronary heart disease in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia.

BACKGROUND: Several epidemiologic studies in Japan have shown the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population. The present analysis determined the risk factors for CHD in the MEGA Study, a large primary prevention trial with pravastatin in Japanese with hypercholesterolemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: The relationship between each baseline characteristic and the risk of CHD for the 5-year study period were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazard model. The multivariable predictors of CHD were sex, age, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), and history of smoking. Serum total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were not independent risk factors for CHD in the current analysis. In addition, the effect of pravastatin was evaluated by subgroups in each risk factor using the interaction in a Cox model. Diet plus pravastatin treatment reduced CHD risk by 14-43% compared with diet alone, regardless of the presence or absence of risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for CHD were sex, age, DM, HT, smoking, and low HDL-C in the MEGA Study. The pravastatin treatment was effective for reducing the risk of CHD, regardless of the presence of risk factors.

Effects of EPA on coronary artery disease in hypercholesterolemic patients with multiple risk factors: sub-analysis of primary prevention cases from the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS).

BACKGROUND: Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) was a large-scale clinical trial examining the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on coronary artery disease (CAD) in hypercholesterolemic patients. Herein, we focused on risk factors other than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to investigate the effects of EPA on CAD among JELIS primary prevention cases. METHODS: Hypercholesterolemic patients on statin therapy but without evidence of CAD (n=14,981) were randomly assigned to an EPA group (n=7503) or a control group (n=7478). The relationships between incident CAD, the number of CAD risk factors (hypercholesterolemia; obesity; high triglyceride (TG) or low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); diabetes; and hypertension) and EPA treatment were investigated. RESULTS: For the control and EPA groups combined, a higher number of risk factors was directly associated with an increased incidence of CAD. Incidence was lower for the EPA group than for the control group regardless of the numbers of risk factors. Compared to patients with normal serum TG and HDL-C levels, those with abnormal levels (TG >or=150 mg/dL; HDL-C <40 mg/dL) had significantly higher CAD hazard ratio (HR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.11-2.64; P=0.014). In this higher risk group, EPA treatment suppressed the risk of CAD by 53% (HR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.23-0.98; P=0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple risk factors besides cholesterol are associated with markedly increased incidence of CAD. High TG with low HDL-C represents a particularly potent risk factor. EPA was effective in reducing the incidence of CAD events for patients with this dyslipidemic pattern, suggesting that EPA may be especially beneficial in patients who with abnormal TG and HDL-C levels.

Relationship between coronary events and serum cholesterol during 10 years of low-dose simvastatin therapy: long-term efficacy and safety in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia in the Japan Lipid Intervention Trial (J-LIT) Extension 10 Study, a prospective large-scale observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Because many Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia have received statin therapy for nearly a decade, there was a need to investigate the benefit of long-term treatment. The Japan Lipid Intervention Trial (J-LIT) Extension 10 study was planned to continue the original J-LIT study for a total of 10 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: All 51,321 patients (including 19,905 who agreed to continue the study) were analyzed. Low-dose treatment with simvastatin (mainly 5 mg/day) was continued throughout the study period and serum lipid levels were well controlled over 10 years. Incidence of adverse drug reactions during the 4-year extension period was lower than previously. Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride levels showed a positive correlation with the risk of coronary events, whereas high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol showed an inverse correlation. Patients with an LDL-C level>or=140 mg/dl had a far higher risk of coronary events than those with a level<100 mg/dl. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term, low-dose simvastatin therapy was safe and effective in Japanese patients with hypercholesterolemia. Serum LDL-C levels should be <140 mg/dl to decrease coronary risk and a low cholesterol level should be maintained for as long as possible.