Table 2

Plasma concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, and Lp(a) at baseline and after two years of treatment with simvastatin (40 mg/day) or atorvastatin (80 mg/day)

LipidStatinBaseline (n=325 max)Two years (n=280 max)Per cent changep* Valuep† Value
Values are means (SD), except for Lp(a) which is in median (interquartile range), in mg/l.
*p Value for relative changes within one treatment group.
†p Value between atorvastatin and simvastatin group.
HDL-c, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-c, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; Lp(a), lipoprotein(a).
Total cholesterolSimvastatin10.27 (2.10)6.71 (1.38)−33.6<0.0010.001
Atorvastatin9.99 (1.87)5.73 (1.31)−41.8<0.001
LDL-cSimvastatin8.33 (2.03)4.81 (1.38)−41.2<0.0010.001
Atorvastatin8.00 (1.83)3.88 (1.21)−50.5<0.001
HDL-cSimvastatin1.16 (0.28)1.30 (0.36)13.4<0.0010.854
Atorvastatin1.18 (0.32)1.32 (0.39)13.2<0.001
TriglyceridesSimvastatin1.85 (1.34)1.41 (0.96)−17.7<0.0010.0023
Atorvastatin1.87 (1.09)1.23 (0.76)−29.2<0.001
Lp(a)Simvastatin531 (184 to 1093)417 (137 to 842)−18.8<0.0010.53
Atorvastatin327 (168 to 832)263 (129 to 707)−22.1<0.001