Rabdomiólisis por atorvastatina: Utilidad de la determinación de los polimorfismos genéticos Translated title: Atorvastatin induced rhabdomyolysis: Utility of determining genetic polymorphisms

The purpose of this study was to determine whether statin treatment is effective and safe in very elderly (80 years and older) acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Elderly individuals constitute an increasing percentage of patients admitted to hospitals for AMI. Despite that these patients have a higher mortality risk, the application of evidence-based medicine remains much lower than for younger patients. We included all patients 80 years and older who were admitted with the diagnosis of AMI in the Register of Information and Knowledge About Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions between 1999 and 2003 (n = 21,410). Of these, complete covariate and follow-up data were available for 14,907 patients (study population A). To limit the bias related comorbidity on statin therapy, we also performed analyses excluding patients who died within 14 days of the acute event (study population B) and all patients who died within 365 days (study population C). A propensity score was used to adjust for initial differences between treatment groups. All-cause mortality was significantly lower in patients receiving statin treatment at discharge in study population A (relative risk: 0.55, 95% confidence interval: 0.51 to 0.59), in study population B (relative risk: 0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.60 to 0.71), and in study population C (relative risk: 0.66; 95% confidence interval: 0.59 to 0.76). Similar observations were made for cardiovascular mortality as well as for AMI mortality. There was no increase in cancer mortality in statin-treated patients. Statin treatment is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality in very elderly post-infarction patients without increasing the risk of the development of cancer.

The pharmaceutical industry currently offers six different statins in Spain and there is one more soon to be available. Choosing the most appropriate drug and dose is determined by the therapeutic target (reduction in LDL-C levels). Statin doses that decrease LDL-C at the same percentage are considered equivalent. Evaluating the pharmacokinetic characteristics of each statin can be useful when setting selection criteria, helping to determine which statin may be more appropriate for a patient based on their individual characteristics and on the other co-administered drugs.

Resumen Las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la principal causa de muerte en el mundo. Fármacos hipolipemiantes como las estatinas son la primera alternativa en la prevención primaria de eventos cardiovasculares, ictus cerebrales y procedimientos de revascularización. Estos fármacos son inhibidores de la enzima HMG-CoA reductasa, la cual regula la velocidad de la síntesis del colesterol y además aumenta la captación hepática del mismo por la vía del receptor de las LDL. El polipéptido transportador de aniones orgánicos 1B1 (OATP1B1) codificado por el gen SLCO1B1 es uno de los transportadores de captación y eflujo hepático de las estatinas. Por medio de estudios de asociación de genomas completos se han reportado diferentes SNPs dentro del gen SLCO1B1 con capacidad de reducir la captación de estatinas mediada por OATP1B1, por lo que las variaciones en la secuencia de este gen influyen en la farmacocinética y farmacodinámica de estos medicamentos, llegando a causar una condición conocida como miopatía inducida por estatinas. En la actualidad, genes que afectan las terapias cardiovasculares, así como los avances actuales en el campo de las pruebas diagnósticas basadas en la secuenciación de los mismos, ofrecen la posibilidad de revolucionar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento con el fin de validar el riesgo de predicción, pronóstico, prevención y manejo de pacientes con riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares, lo cual conducirá al desarrollo de nuevas formas de tratamientos médicos.