Objectives. To investigate the efficacy and the safety of the three most commonly prescribed statins (rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and pravastatin) for managing dyslipidemia among diabetic patients in Qatar. Subjects and Methods. This retrospective observational population-based study included 350 consecutive diabetes patients who were diagnosed with dyslipidemia and prescribed any of the indicated statins between September 2005 and September 2009. Data was collected by review of the Pharmacy Database, the Electronic Medical Records Database (EMR viewer), and the Patient's Medical Records. Comparisons of lipid profile measurements at baseline and at first- and second-year intervals were taken. Results. Rosuvastatin (10？mg) was the most effective at reducing LDL-C (29.03%). Atorvastatin reduced LDL-C the most at a dose of 40？mg (22.8%), and pravastatin reduced LDL-C the most at a dose of 20？mg (20.3%). All three statins were safe in relation to muscular and hepatic functions. In relation to renal function, atorvastatin was the safest statin as it resulted in the least number of patients at the end of 2 years of treatment with the new onset of microalbuminuria (10.9%) followed by rosuvastatin (14.3%) and then pravastatin (26.6%). Conclusion. In the Qatari context, the most effective statin at reducing LDL-C was rosuvastatin 10？mg. Atorvastatin was the safest statin in relation to renal function. Future large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm these results. 1. Introduction Diabetes is now commonly recognized as a “coronary heart disease risk equivalent” [1–4]. This is mainly attributed to the high rates of dyslipidemia among diabetic patients which is believed to be one of the major factors accounting for the high percentage of deaths among diabetics due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) [5]. The differences in the lipid profile between diabetics (especially type 2 diabetics) and nondiabetics account for the increased CVD risk [6]. Essentially, T2DM lipid profiles consist of elevations in triglyceride (TG) levels (>2？mmol/L) and reductions in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). While low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration levels are normal, the particles are denser and smaller in size, which is believed to enhance their atherogenic potential [7]. Numerous epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials have documented the association between elevated LDL-C levels with increased CVD risk in both diabetic and nondiabetic populations [8, 9]. Thus reducing LDL-C levels is the primary goal of therapy for
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