Intensive Statin Therapy in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent an enormous disease burden, especially in the Western world, where they are one of the largest causes of mortality and morbidity. Patients suffering an acute coronary event are at very high risk of further coronary events, and although improvements in medical therapy over the past two decades have significantly reduced the risk, it remains high. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are now fully established in the primary and secondary prevention of stable coronary heart disease, and recently a substantial body of evidence has proven their efficacy in ACS. This paper examines the evidence for statin use in ACS.