Characteristics of new statin users (N=18 036) for six drugs represented in this study
| Atorvastatin (N=7052) | Rosuvastatin (N=5921) | Pravastatin (N=5110) | Pitavastatin (N=1774) | Simvastatin (N=976) | Fluvastatin (N=871) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variable | ||||||
| Mean age, year (SD) | 65 (12) | 64 (12) | 68 (11) | 66 (12) | 68 (12) | 68 (10) |
| Male (%) | 45 | 52 | 38 | 44 | 39 | 48 |
| Statin use* | ||||||
| Duration, month (range) | 24 (6–42) | 15 (4–28) | 22 (6–41) | 16 (5–32) | 23 (7–41) | 16 (6–32) |
| Daily prescribed dose, (mg, where available) | 10 | 2.5 | 10 | 1.6 (1–2) | 5 | 30 (20–30) |
| Comorbidity | ||||||
| Hepatic impairment (%)† | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Renal impairment (%)‡ | 25 | 31 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 28 |
| HbA1c >6.1% (%) | 17 | 28 | 14 | 22 | 13 | 14 |
| Hypertension (%)§ | 25 | 53 | 55 | 28 | 60 | 57 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%)¶ | 55 | 31 | 21 | 53 | 22 | 21 |
| Cardiovascular disease (%)** | 32 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 40 |
| Ischaemic heart disease (%)†† | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 20 |
| Gastric ulcers (%)‡‡ | 34 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 |
| Lipid profile | ||||||
| TC >1×ULN | 60%(2248/3773) | 68%(2547/3719) | 58%(1436/2467) | 60%(541/909) | 63%(261/419) | 40%(165/408) |
| LDL-C >1× ULN | 71%(1639/2295) | 73%(3019/4118) | 64%(969/1524) | 69%(664/969) | 61%(147/243) | 51%(104/202) |
| HDL-C <1×LLN | 16%(603/3375) | 18%(835/4638) | 13% (321/2288) | 15%(182/1235) | 13%(51/383) | 15%(76/497) |
| TG >1×ULN | 54%(2320/4266) | 58%(2949/5056) | 45%(1274/2835) | 52%(665/1286) | 48%(223/463) | 46%(234/510) |
*Data shown as median (Q1–Q3)..
†Renal impairment: patients whose serum creatine levels increased by >1×the upper limit of the normal range prior to 180 days before statin initiation.
‡Hepatic impairment defined patients whose alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (APT) increased >3× times the upper limit of the normal range prior to 180 days before statin imitation.
§Patients with hypertension defined as the use of antihypertensive drugs, including calcium channel blocker, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, and α-blocker.
¶Patients with diabetes mellitus defined as the use of hypoglycaemic agents, including bigunide and sulfonylurea.
**Patients with cardiovascular disease defined as the use of antiplatelet, including aspirin, clopidogrel, ticlopidine and dyperidamole.
††Patients with ischaemic heart disease defined as the use of nitriate, including imdur, nitroglycerin and isodil.
‡‡Patients with the gastric ulcers defined as the use of gastrointestinal protective agents, including proton pump inhibitor and H2 receptor antagonist.
The approved daily dosage for each statin was listed as follows: atorvastatin 10–40 mg, rosuvastatin 2.5–20 mg, pravastatin 10–20 mg, pitavastatin 1–4 mg, simvastatin 5–20 mg and fluvastatin 20–60 mg.
HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LLN, lower limit of normal range; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; ULN, upper limit of normal range.