The effects of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin on exercise tolerance in patients with coronary heart disease

Objectives This study was aimed to analyze the effects of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin and different lipid-lowering intensity treatments on exercise tolerance in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted in 549 patients with CHD who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) from February 2014 to August 2018. The CPET results of patients taking different types and doses of statins were compared from baseline to follow-up. Results No significant difference was found in baseline VO(2)peak between the rosuvastatin group and the atorvastatin group. The VO(2)peak growth of the rosuvastatin group was significantly greater than that of the atorvastatin group after treatment [1.52 +/- 4.03 ml/kg/minvs0.90 ml/kg/min (-1.60, 3.45),p= 0.018]. Multivariate analysis showed that atorvastatin was a negative independent influencing factor of Delta VO(2)peak (B= -0.665,SE = 0.321,t= -2.070,p= 0.039,95% CI: - 1.295 similar to-0.034). There was no significant difference between the median intensity and high-intensity lipid-lowering groups in parameters of CPET. Conclusions The exercise tolerance improvement was more considerable for patients with CHD taking rosuvastatin compared with those taking atorvastatin. The lipid-lowering intensity of statins was not independently associated with changes in exercise tolerance in patients with CHD.