Effects of Atorvastatin on Resting and Peak Exercise Blood Pressure

To determine if 80mg of atorvastatin reduces resting BP and peak systolic BP (SBP) on a graded exercise test. Subjects were double-blinded and randomized to 80mg times d-1 of atorvastatin (n=202) or placebo (n=217) for 6 months. Resting BP and peak SBP were measured by auscultation at baseline and 6 months. Repeated measures ANCOVA tested differences in resting BP and peak SBP over 6 months by drug treatment group and gender with age and body mass index (BMI) as covariates. Subjects were 44.1 + or - 0.8 yr (mean + or - SEM) with resting BP of 118.9 + or - 0.6/75.3 + or - 0.5 mmHg and BMI of 26.4 + or - 0.2 kg[midot]m-2. Men (n=203) had higher resting BP (121.6 + or - 0.9/76.5 + or - 0.7 vs. 116.2 + or - 0.9/74.1 + or - 0.7 mmHg) and peak SBP (177.5 + or - 1.9 vs. 161.3 + or - 1.7 mmHg) than women (n=216) (p=0.000).