1.Comparison of the efficacy and level of adherence for morning versus evening versus before bedtime administration of simvastatin in hypercholesterolemic patients
Wei Kai Heng ; Yen Ping Ng ; Guat See Ooi ; Habshoh Bt. Hat ; Nurazlin Bt. Jamaluddin ; Nor Azah Bt. M. Nawi ; Hasniza Bt. Hasim ; Noriza Bt. Wahab
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2019;74(6):477-482
Background: Simvastatin is usually taken in the evening due
to the circadian rhythm of hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis.
The degree of reduction of low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (LDL-C) and the level of adherence to different
administration time remained unknown in the Malaysian
population. This study aims to investigate the effect of
simvastatin on the percentage changes of lipid profile and
the level of adherence to when simvastatin was instructed to
be taken at different timing.
Methods: Nine primary care health clinics across Malaysia
participated in this study. 147 statin-naive subjects were
selected through convenient sampling and randomised into
one of the three arms (after breakfast, after dinner or before
bedtime). Differences on percentage reduction of LDL-C
from baseline and level of adherence among the three
groups at week-16 were compared. The main outcomes
measured in this study were the percentage change of lipid
parameters and the percentage of high-adherence
(MMAS=8) at week-16.
Results: 59.2% of the patients were male. The mean age of
the study population was 53.93± 10.85 years. Most of the
patients were Malays (69.4%); followed by Indians (22.4%)
and Chinese (8.2%). LDL-C decreased from 4.26 (Standard
Deviation, SD1.01) to 2.36 (SD0.69)mmol/L at week-16 for
patients taking simvastatin before bedtime; an absolute
reduction of 44.95%.The differences of LDL-C percentage
reduction between three arms were significantly different
(p<0.001). The greatest LDL-C reduction was observed when
simvastatin was taken before bedtime and revealed 56.2%
patients with high-adherence at week-16.
Conclusion: Simvastatin showed superior LDL-reduction
and higher level of adherence when being instructed to be
taken before bedtime