Ezetimibe and simvastatin for the prevention of cardiovascular events in predialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a review

imibe and simvastatin for the prevention of cardiovascular events in predialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a review Review (954) Total Article Views Authors: Naderi S, Foody JM Published Date December 2012 Volume 2012:5 Pages 165 - 169 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJNRD.S28159 Received: 05 September 2012 Accepted: 24 October 2012 Published: 20 December 2012 Sahar Naderi,1 JoAnne M Foody2 1Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA; 2Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: The majority of chronic kidney disease patients die of cardiovascular disease prior to reaching end-stage renal disease. The combination of ezetimibe and a statin has been the focus of a number of recent studies, given initial data showing a substantial reduction in low-density lipoprotein with the addition of ezetimibe. However, it is unclear how this low-density lipoprotein reduction impacts cardiovascular disease outcomes. This review will briefly discuss the burden of cardiovascular disease and the pathophysiology of dyslipidemia in chronic kidney disease patients. It will then assess the data regarding the impact of adding ezetimibe to a statin on the general population, and specifically predialysis chronic kidney disease patients.