The Effect of Pravastatin on Coronary Events after Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Average Cholesterol Levels

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this page is to take the landmark TORCH study titled “The Effect of Pravastatin on Coronary Events after Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Average Cholesterol Levels” (Sacks et al. 1996, The New England Journal Of Medicine) and distill down its major takeaways for clinical practice.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS STUDY?

This study was geared towards the utility of statin therapy in reducing the risk of coronary events in patients with average cholesterol levels but know coronary artery disease.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR TAKEAWAYS?

Overall there were a few things that this study highlighted in its results/conclusion:

  • Statin therapy reduced the risk of coronary events in patients who had known coronary artery disease, and LDL levels >125 mg/dL.
  • This effect was greater in women and with patients who had higher pre-treatment LDL levels.

 

Page Updated: 08.16.2016