Role and significance of statins in the treatment of hypertensive patients

Background: Statins are the first-line drug therapy in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. The beneficial clinical impact of statins on the cardiovascular system results not only from their lipid-lowering action but also from other effects. Recently, it has been suggested that statins can reduce blood pressure, especially in hypertensive patients. Aim: The role of the hypotensive action of statins and other mechanisms which reduce cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients are discussed in this review. Methods: Electronic databases searched were [MEDLINE (1966 - February 2009), EMBASE and SCOPUS (1965 - February 2009), DARE (1966 - February 2009)]. Additionally, abstracts from national and international cardiovascular meetings were studied to identify unpublished studies. The main data search terms were: blood pressure, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and statins. Findings: At present, it is difficult to unequivocally assess the impact of statins on blood pressure. However, according to most authors, the impact of statins on the decrease in BP is slight, but significant, especially among patients with hypertension.