The Effects of Rosuvastatin on Carotid Atherosclerosis and Serum High-sensitive C-reaction Protein in Hypertension

Objective The aim of this prospective case-series study was to determine whether rosuvastatin is effective in decreasing serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers and slowing progression of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension. Methods 405 patients with hypertension were randomly assigned to the control group(n=203) or the rosuvastatin(20 mg once daily) group(n=202) during a 18-month treatment period.Carotid intima media thickness(IMT), lipid profile and high-sensitive C-reaction protein(hs-CRP) were assessed after 6, 12 months and at the end of the study(18 months). Results Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and hs-CRP decreased significantly(p0.05) in the rosuvastatin treatment group, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly(p0.05) during the intervention, compared with the control group and baseline.At 18 months, the IMT of the internal carotid arteries appeared to be decreased in patients treated with rosuvastatin(p0.05).Conclusion 18-month treatment with rosuvastatin in hypertensive adults significantly reduced the IMT and improved the lipid and inflammatory biomarker levels.