Table 1. Characteristics of included trials.
| Study number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Author (year) | Moosavi,2013 | Zeng, 2012 | Kawut, 2011 | Willkins,2010 | Lee, 2009 | |
| Type of study | RCT | RCT | RCT | RCT | RCT | |
| Patients stains n/Controls n | 24/21 | 112/108 | 32/33 | 19/23 | 27/26 | |
| Gender (M/F) | Statins | 15/9 | 33/79 | 6/26 | 2/17 | 20/7 |
| Controls | 13/8 | 43/65 | 3/30 | 8/15 | 19/7 | |
| Mean age (year±SD) | Statins | 65±11 | 35±13 | 50.0±14.3 | 43.2±15.2 | 71±8 |
| Controls | 68±14 | 37±13 | 51.0±13.6 | 49.1±14.9 | 72±6 | |
| Cause of PH | COPD | Group 1 PH or due to inoperable CTEPH. | Group 1 PH | Group 1 PH | COPD | |
| Intervention and dosing(mg) | Atorvastatin, 20 BID | Atorvastatin, 10 QD | Simvastatin, 40 QD | Simvastatin, 40 QD for 4 weeks, then 80 QD | Pravastatin, 40 QD | |
| Duration of intervention | 24 weeks | 24 weeks | 24 weeks | 24 weeks followed by 24 weeks open-label treatment | 24 weeks | |
| End points | Primary: SPAP | Primary: 6MWD | Primary: 6MWD | Primary: RV mass by CMR | Primary: Exercise time at a symptom-limited Naughton exercise stress test | |
| Secondary: 6MWD, hemodynamic parameters | Secondary: time to clinical worsening, Borg dyspnea score and hemodynamic parameters | Secondary: Borg dyspnea score, laboratory tests (e.g. NT-proBNP, plasma-thromboglobulin) | Secondary: 6MWD, Borg dyspnea score, NT-proBNP etc. | Secondary: SPAP, Borg dyspnea score, etc. | ||
| Outcomes | A trend of lowering SPAH and improving 6MWD, but no statistical significance was detected | No significant difference | No significant effect on the 6MWD, although the 6MWD of patients from simvastatin group tended to be lower at 6 months | RV mass and NT-proBNP decreased in simvastatin group, but not sustained at 12months. No significant improvement of 6MWD. | Significant improvement in the exercise time and the Borg dyspnea score | |
Abbreviations: RCT, randomized controlled trial; PH, pulmonary hypertension; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases; CTEPH, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; BID, twice daily; QD, daily; SPAP, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure; 6MWD, 6-minute walk distance; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide; RV, right ventricle; CMR, cardiac magnetic resonance; SPAH, systolic pulmonary arterial hypertension.