NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – New research suggests that use of statin therapy in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation.

The results of the study, reported in the May issue of Heart, suggest that statin use can cut the risk of developing atrial fibrillation by 55% (p = 0.004).

In addition to their cholesterol-lowering properties, statins are believed to have anti-inflammatory effects. Since recent research suggests that inflammation plays a key role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation, it is possible that statin therapy can help stave off the arrhythmia.

In fact, a number of studies have already looked at statins as anti-atrial fibrillation agents. However, nearly all of these studies have included only or mostly men; none have specifically examined statin use for this indication in women.

In the current investigation, Dr. G. M. Marcus, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues addressed this topic by analyzing data from 2673 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS). The subjects were followed for 4.1 years on average.

Twenty-nine women had atrial fibrillation at baseline and 59 developed the arrhythmia during follow-up.

Statin use at enrollment was significantly less common among subjects with atrial fibrillation than among those without it: 22% vs. 37% (p = 0.003). Women who used statins at baseline were 65% less likely to have the arrhythmia at baseline than those who were not using these agents.

As mentioned, among women free of atrial fibrillation at baseline, those on statin treatment were 55% less likely to develop atrial fibrillation.

In a related editorial, Dr. Joseph E. Marine and Dr. Hiroshi Ashikaga, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, call for more randomized trials to examine statin use as a means to prevent atrial fibrillation and note that it remains to be seen whether this therapy can "ease the global burden of atrial fibrillation."

Reference:
Heart 2009;95:693-694,704-708.