Pravastatin has an additional depressor effect in patients undergoing long-term treatment with antihypertensive drugs

Abstract Background Statins have been reported to have direct vascular effects independent of cholesterol reduction. To assess the antihypertensive effect of statins, a crossover study was designed to compare the depressor effect of pravastatin and probucol in hypertensive patients undergoing long-term treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Methods The subjects enrolled in this study were 52 hypertensive patients (22 men and 30 women, mean age 62.8 ± 9.3 years) who were treated with the same antihypertensive drugs for more than 1 year and had serum cholesterol levels of more than 5.69 mmol/L. In 26 subjects, pravastatin at a dose of 10 mg/d was given first for 6 months followed by treatment with probucol at a dose of 500 mg/d, and vice versa in the remaining 26 subjects. Serum lipids, apolipoproteins, glucose, and insulin were measured on the final day of the control period, and pravastatin and probucol treatments. The homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was used to assess insulin resistance. Results The blood pressure decreased after pravastatin treatment (141.2 ± 4.7/81.3 ± 4.9 to 136.5 ± 5.3/80.6 ± 5.1 mm Hg, P< .001/.499), but did not decrease after probucol treatment (141.2 ± 4.7/81.3 ± 4.9 to 141.4 ± 4.9/80.8 ± 4.9 mm Hg, P = .832/.634). Total cholesterol decreased significantly after pravastatin (6.69 ± 0.69 to 5.23 ± 0.77 mmol/L, P< .001) and probucol treatment (6.69 ± 0.69 to 5.53 ± 0.64 mmol/L, P< .001). The HOMA-IR was decreased by probucol (1.92 ± 0.78 to 1.57 ± 0.59, P = .029), whereas pravastatin had no effect on HOMA-IR. Conclusions It can be concluded that the depressor effect of pravastatin may have an additional benefit in the treatment of hypertensive patients with hyperlipidemia without any adverse effect on insulin sensitivity.