Persons with certain genetic variations who take
statins to lower their
cholesterol will not realize the same benefit as other individuals, according to a study in the June 16 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Therapy with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) lowers total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and has proven to be highly effective for cardiovascular risk reduction, according to background information in the article. However, there is wide variation in interindividual response to statin therapy, and it has been hypothesized that genetic differences may contribute to this variation.
Daniel I. Chasman, Ph.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether common genetic variants influence the degree of lipid level reduction during pravastatin therapy. The study included 1,536 individuals treated with pravastatin, 40 mg/per day. Their DNA in blood samples was analyzed for 148 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 10 candidate genes related to lipid metabolism. Variation within these genes was then examined for associations with changes in lipid levels observed with pravastatin therapy during a 24-week period.