Lipids Information and Dyslipidemia Education

BREAKING NEWS: The FCG Institute for Continuing Education launches CVspectrum

APOLLO transitions to the new CVspectrum.org. Please note: all registered user information has been transferred to CVspectrum.org, so log-on and check out the new CVspectrum!

NEW! APOLLO Newsletters

Check out the latest APOLLO Newsletter with articles on HDL, Diet and LDL-C and Clinical Trials Summaries and Commentary! APOLLO Newsletters are certified for AMA, AAFP, CPE, AANP and CNE credit and are endorsed by the NLA

Interview with Dr. Paul Thompson on the Role of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in Statin-Associated Myopathy

Paul D. Thompson, MD

Although serious statin-associated myopathy is rare, muscle-related complaints are generally held to be the most common and clinically significant adverse effects of statin therapy. The mechanism by which statins may affect muscle is unknown, and a number of explanations have been proposed. One theory that has attracted wide interest relates statin-associated muscle complaints to depletion of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The role of CoQ10 in statin-associated myopathy is the subject of a recently published systematic review by Leo Marcoff and APOLLO Steering Committee member Paul D. Thompson.¹ In this interview, Dr. Thompson discusses the prevalence of statin-related muscle complaints, theories about their causation, and the conclusions of his and Dr. Marcoff’s review of the evidence on the role of CoQ10.

Besides therapeutic lifestyle change, what treatment do you recommend for a patient at high risk for CAD but unable to take or tolerate a statin?
- APOLLO User

Exercise

Weigh patients at every yearly visit and if their weight is up, even a little, get them on a daily exercise and weight loss program. It's easier to lose 2 pounds 50 times than 100 pounds once.

Paul D. Thompson, MD

Leptin modulates peripheral lipid metabolism mainly through influence on food intake
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Leptin treatment has noticeable effects on peripheral lipid metabolism in a mouse model, most of which can be explained through its influence on food intake, report investigators in the journal Endocrinology.
Pitavastatin more effective at increasing HDL cholesterol than atorvastatin
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Glucose intolerant, dyslipidemic patients treated with pitavastatin have greater increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I than those taking atorvastatin, show Japanese study results.
Genetic basis for statin-induced myopathy discovered
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - A polymorphism in the SLCO1B1 gene accounts for more than 60% of statin-induced myopathy cases, reports the SEARCH collaborative group.

Emergency physicians correctly diagnosing EMI
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - US emergency room physicians are correctly diagnosing emerging myocardial infarction based on their initial clinical impression, a study indicates.
Sweden sees improvement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - A significant improvement in patient survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has been achieved in Sweden, results from a 14-year study show.
EuroSCORE 'gives false reassurance' on surgical performance
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - The EuroSCORE risk prediction model must be adjusted to account for improvements in cardiac surgery survival since its inception, say UK researchers.

Supported by educational grants from Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.

New Niacin Formulation Shows Significantly Improved Overall Flushing ProfileNo Aspirin or Other NSAID Use Permitted