FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann-Marie White
Heart Rhythm Society
(202) 464-3476
awhite@hrsonline.org

Lucy McDonald: (202) 306-3456
Heart Rhythm 2008 Press Room: (415) 978-3520 (number effective May 14-17, 2008)

SAN FRANCISCO, May 15, 2008 – Statin therapy is associated with a lower prevalence and incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in post-menopausal women with coronary disease, according to a new study released today at Heart Rhythm 2008, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Sessions. Study findings support the hypothesis that statin drugs may be effective as a non-antiarrhythmic treatment for AF.

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disorder, in which the heartbeat is irregular and often rapid, and it can lead to serious complications such as stroke, chronic fatigue and congestive heart failure. AF affects over two million people in the United States alone. There are a number of treatments to control AF and reduce the risk that it will cause serious health problems, but none are consistently successful and most have unfavorable side effects, unlike relatively low risk statins.

“Women and men are affected by atrial fibrillation differently,” said the study’s lead author Cara Pellegrini, MD, at the University of California, San Francisco. “Since past studies have shown benefits of statin therapy in the male population, we wanted to take a closer look at the effectiveness of statin therapy in women with regard to the risk of developing AF.”

The study involved 2,673 post-menopausal women with prior coronary disease in the Heart and Estrogen-Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) to examine the association between statin use and the prevalence and incidence of AF. After an average follow-up of 4.1 years and adjusting for age, race and other risk factors, the prevalence of AF was 65 percent lower and the incidence of AF was 55 percent lower in patients using statin therapy.

About Heart Rhythm2008
Heart Rhythm 2008 takes place May 14-17 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The meeting is the most comprehensive educational event on heart rhythm disorders, offering 250 educational opportunities in multiple formats. The world’s most renowned scientists and physicians will present a wide range of heart rhythm topics including advances in statins, cardiac resynchronization therapy, catheter ablation, cardiac pacing and heart failure and the latest technology, including state-of-the-art pacemakers and defibrillators.