Statin escape phenomenon: Fact or fiction?

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study participants

Variable	Escape group	Non-escape group
n	56	125
Gender (male), %	43	52
Current smoking, %	9	14
Age, yr	56 (51-63)	57 (49-65)
Waist, cm	97 (90-101)	98 (90-105)
SBP, mmHg	134 (127-146)	140 (129-150)
DBP, mmHg	83 (79-95)	87 (80-92)
Follow-up, yr	4 (3-6)	4 (4-7)
Metabolic syndrome, %	39	40
Hypertension, %	59	57
Diabetes, %	11	9
Stroke, %	5	4
Coronary heart disease, %	7	1a
Abdominal aortic aneurysm, %	2	0
Carotid stenosis ≥ 50%, %	0	2
Peripheral arterial disease, %	0	1
Statin therapy and median dose, % (median dose)
Atorvastatin	38 (20 mg)	34 (20 mg)
Rosuvastatin	29 (10 mg)	24 (10 mg)
Simvastatin	21 (40 mg)	26 (40 mg)
Fluvastatin	7 (80 mg)	6 (80 mg)
Pravastatin	0	1 (40 mg)
β-blocker, %	9	7
Thiazides, %	11	19
Pioglitazone, %	4	1
Antipsychotics, %	0	1
Levothyroxine, %	4	5
Clopidogrel, %	2	2
Proton-pump inhibitors, %	4	4

Median follow-up duration = 4 years (IQR: 3-6 years). Values are expressed as median (IQR), unless percentages as shown.

^aP < 0.05 for the comparison with the escape group. DBP: Diastolic blood pressure; IQR: Interquartile range; SBP: Systolic blood pressure.