Statins, a class of lipid-lowering drugs, reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with established atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease. Early initiation of statin therapy after admission for acute coronary syndromes (ACS), stroke, or transient ischemic attack (TIA) is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes. Moreover, high-dose statin treatment prior to coronary or carotid revascularization has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in these patients. However, many patients may be undertreated, and a residual cardiovascular risk remains in current clinical practice. Despite the beneficial role of statins, their discontinuation rate among patients is still elevated leading to severe adverse cardiovascular events due to atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. In this review, we summarized the impact of statin treatment among patients, focusing on the initiation time-points as well as the potential harm derived by their discontinuation.

他汀类药物是一类降脂药物，可降低已确诊的动脉粥样硬化相关心血管疾病患者的发病率和死亡率。因急性冠状动脉综合征 (ACS)、中风或短暂性脑缺血发作 (TIA) 入院后早期开始他汀类药物治疗与改善心血管结局相关。此外，冠状动脉或颈动脉血运重建前的高剂量他汀类药物治疗已被证明可以减少这些患者的心血管事件。然而，许多患者可能未得到充分治疗，并且在当前的临床实践中仍然存在残余心血管风险。尽管他汀类药物具有有益作用，但由于动脉粥样硬化斑块不稳定，患者的停药率仍然较高，导致严重的不良心血管事件。在这篇评论中，