STATINS AND THE RISK FOR CORONARY IN-STENT RESTENOSIS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS

Diabetes mellitus is considered to be an independent risk factor for the progression of coronary artery disease, due to the associated pro-atherosclerotic status, and also an important predictor of poor outcomes after both coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention. Even in the contemporary era of newer-generation stents and despite remarkable technological advances, in-stent restenosis is still a major problem. The aim of our study was to identify risk factors for restenosis in the first year after stent deployment in 95 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. Our results suggest that a larger stent diameter and the use of statins positively influence the risk of in-stent restenosis in the first year after stent implantation. Systemic statin therapy should be considered in all interventional treated diabetic patients, in order to reduce the risk of in-stent restenosis, particularly in high-risk patients.