MethodsParticipants in the present

Methods
Participants in the present study were sampled from two multicentre,
randomized, placebo-controlled trials – CORONA and GISSI-HF – in
which patients with NYHA class II–IV heart failure were randomized
to rosuvastatin 10 mg or to matching placebo and monitored for cardiovascular
events as well as non-cardiovascular causes of death.15,16
Although both trials examined patients with NYHA class II–IV heart
failure, CORONA (5011 patients, median follow-up 32.8 months)
included only patients aged 60 years and over with systolic heart failure
(left ventricular ejection fraction 40% or less) of an ischaemic aetiology,
whereas GISSI-HF (4574 patients, median follow-up 46.9 months)
examined patients over the age of 18 years with ischaemic and
non-ischaemic aetiologies of heart failure with reduced and normal
ejection fractions. Further details of each trial, including sampling criteria,
exclusions, examination structure, and ascertainment of outcomes
have been described in detail previously.15,16 In CORONA, the primary
composite outcome of death from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal MI,
or non-fatal stroke occurred in 692 patients in the rosuvastatin group
and 732 in the placebo group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.92, 95% confidence
interval (CI) 0.83–1.02, P =0.12].15 Of note, there was no excess of
adverse events in the rosuvastatin group.15 In GISSI-HF, there were two
co-primary endpoints: time to death, and time to death or admission
to the hospital for cardiovascular reasons.