Konstantinos Tziomalos, Asterios Karagiannis, Vasilios Athyros
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are a major modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Lowering LDL-C levels with statins reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is an integral component of cardiovascular prevention strategies in patients with and without CVD. Moreover, statins exert beneficial effects on other lipoproteins (particularly on triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) as well as vascular-protective effects independent from lipid-lowering (pleiotropic actions). These effects might also contribute to cardiovascular risk reduction. Very recently, a new statin, pitavastatin, was approved in Greece. The aim of the present review is to summarize the effects of pitavastatin on the lipid profile and to compare its lipid-lowering efficacy with other statins. The pleiotropic effects of pitavastatin and its safety profile are also discussed in detail.
Keywords: Pitavastatin, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, pleiotropic effects, safety, cardiovascular events