Statin therapy after myocardial infarction in patients with renal failure: the longer, the merrier!

Abstract

Among the ongoing clinical challenges for cardiologists in the 21^th century, there is the necessity of being able to cope with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Irrespectively, beneficial drugs should be continued long-term, to ensure mortality and morbidity benefits continue to be accrued. This is evidently the case for the use of statins to improve long-term outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), as the combination of CKD and ACS represents a veritable crucible of adverse risk factors. Furthermore, statins have pleiotropic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and endothelial-protective effects. Even though these effects are debated in CKD patients, it is biologically plausible that statins may reduce the inflammatory burden and improve glomerular hemodynamics. Awaiting for further clinical studies, for instance focused on the identification of possible biomarkers of statins action on renal function, it is pivotal to maintain our CKD patients with history of ACS on lifesaving medications such as statins.