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. 2000 May;84(5):512–516. doi: 10.1136/bjo.84.5.512

3 Year simvastatin treatment and lens nuclear back scattering

W Qian 1, P Soderberg 1, E Chen 1, K Magnius 1, B Philipson 1
PMCID: PMC1723460  PMID: 10781516

Abstract

AIM—To determine if 3 year treatment of hypercholesterolaemia with simvastatin causes an increase of lens nuclear back scattering.
METHODS—160 patients with hypercholesterolaemia in the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) were followed for 3 years. Half (80) of the patients took simvastatin and half (80) received placebo. The lens was photographed with a Topcon SL-45 slit lamp camera at the beginning and at 1 year intervals. A common lens nuclear area was used for measuring lens nuclear back scattering.
RESULTS—Nuclear back scattering increased with age and there was more pronounced scattering in women than in men. Lens nuclear back scattering did not differ significantly between the simvastatin and placebo groups, but the power was low (0.2). Lens nuclear back scattering increased during the study period independently of baseline back scattering, age, and sex for both groups.
CONCLUSION—Although no significant difference was found between the simvastatin and placebo groups, the currently available data are insufficient for exclusion of the possibility that taking simvastatin during a 3 year period increases nuclear back scattering. However, a possible minor increase of nuclear back scattering is clinically irrelevant considering known beneficial effects of simvastatin on coronary heart disease.



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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Schematic drawing of a lens image. The area enclosed by the parabolas was defined as a common lens nuclear area (CNA). The rectangle within the CNA was selected for photometry.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Estimated frequency distribution for the intensity of baseline nuclear back scattering light in the simvastatin (solid line) and placebo groups (broken line).

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Baseline nuclear back scattering light as a function of age and sex ( men: solid symbol and women: open symbol).

Figure 4  .

Figure 4  

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Crystalline lens nuclear back scattering of light from baseline to 3 years' treatment with simvastatin (solid symbol) and placebo (open symbol). Bars are 95% confidence intervals for the means (n = 80 for each group).

Figure 5  .

Figure 5  

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3 Year increase of nuclear back scattering as a function of baseline for simvastatin (solid symbol) and placebo (open symbol).

Selected References

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