Simvastatin effects in normo- and hypercholesterolaemic patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease: a pilot study.

Improvement of endothelial function caused by statin treatment is not related to lowering of the cholesterol levels but results primarily from statin pleiotropic effects. Accordingly, we designed a pilot study in 10 normocholesterolaemic and 10 hypercholesterolaemic patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease to investigate potential biological effects of statins in relation to their effects on endothelial function. The patients were treated with simvastatin 40 mg/daily for 3 months.