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Five serious cardiovascular events(1 fatal myocardial infarction),and 7 drop-outs for cancer were registered.In the pravastatin group,LDL decreased-0.22 after 3 months versus-0.01 in the placebo group,and remained substantially unchanged afterwards(-0.23 versus+0.01 at 36 months,respectively).Progression of the MMaxIMT was0.009+/-0.0027 versus- 0.0043=/-0.0028 mm/year(x+/-SE,P,0.0007)in the placebo and pravastatin groups,respectively.IMT progression slopes diverged after 6 months of treatment.Pravastatin stops the progression of carotid IMT in asymptomatic,moderately hypercholesterolemic men and women.This finding extends the beneficial effects of cholesterol lowering to the primary prevention of atherosclerosis in a population with relatively low cardiovascular event rates,and suggests that this benefit is mediated by specific morphological effects on early stages of plaque development. |
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