The role of lipid lowering through statins in primary prevention of cardiovascular events in women was unestablished so far because of few studies including enough women. The results of the JUPITER trial, which included 17,802 men and women, suggest that rosuvastatin (20 mg daily) benefits patients whose only cardiovascular risk factors are age and elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Now, the results of a planned cross sectional study involving the 6801 JUPITER participants who were women (aged 60) are published.

    It is interesting to note that rosuvastatin lowered women's relative risk for major cardiovascular events by 46%, slightly more than the 42% reduction seen in men. The benefit in women was caused primarily by a 76% reduction in relative risk for revascularization or hospitalization for unstable angina in the rosuvastatin group compared with the placebo group (P<0.001).Because overall cardiovascular risk was lower in women than in men, the estimated number needed to treat with rosuvastatin for 5 years to prevent one myocardial infarction, hospitalization, cardiovascular death, stroke, or revascularization was slightly higher for women than for the total JUPITER population (36 vs.25).

    Just as mentioned earlier in first article, the JUPITER data have already influenced Canadian practice guidelines for lipid management and are expected to influence the U.S. guidelines as well.