Background: Hypercholesterolemia is frequent after heart transplantation. Statins can reduce cholesterol levels but their use in heart transplant patients is complicated by pharmacokinetic interactions with cyclosporin and the risk of serious adverse effects including rhabdomyolysis. Fluvastatin has been used safely to treat hypercholesterolemia in renal transplant patients but there are few data relating to its use after heart transplantation. Therefore, we conducted a randomised blinded placebo controlled trial.
Methods and results: Seventy-nine patients, 3 months to 12 years after heart transplantation with a low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol between 3.5 and 8.0 mmol/l were randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, to receive either fluvastatin 40 mg od (n=52) or matching placebo (n=27). Changes in total cholesterol (TC) in the fluvastatin and placebo groups were -17.0% and +4.5%, respectively, (p<0.001); the corresponding changes in LDL were -20.5% and +4.8% (P<0.001) and in triglycerides -14.5% and +7.1% (p=0.012) at the end of the 1-year study period. Withdrawals were more frequent in the fluvastatin group (23% vs. 11% p=0.24). Two deaths occurred during the study (the rate expected from International Society of Heart Lung Transplantation registry) and appeared to be unrelated to the study medication. There were no episodes of rhabdomyolysis or other serious drug-related side effects.
Conclusions: Fluvastatin (40 mg/day) was both an effective and a safe treatment for hypercholesterolemia in patients who had undergone heart transplantation more than 3 months previously.