Effects of Achieving Ldl-cholesterol Levels <70 mg/dl With Simvastatin or Atorvastatin on Steroidogenesis in High-risk Diabetic Patients

Abstract: We compared the effect of achieving an low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) This was an open-label, randomized, controlled trial. High-risk diabetic patients were randomly assigned to simvastatin or atorvastatin 10 mg. LDL-cholesterol was monitored at 30-day intervals. If LDL-cholesterol was >100 mg/dL, the doses of simvastatin and atorvastatin were increased to a maximum of 40 and 80 mg, respectively. Within each treatment group, patients were stratified by achieved LDL-cholesterol goals into 2 subgroups and followed thereafter up to 12 weeks. Of the 140 subjects enrolled, 114 completed the study. Mean LDL-cholesterol levels after simvastatin therapy were 61 in the subgroup with LDL-cholesterol