Dyslipidemia, statins, and venous thromboembolism: a potential risk factor and a potential treatment.

The optimal drug for the prevention of venous thromboembolism is one that is efficacious, associated with minimal bleeding risk, and easy to administer. Statins fulfill the latter two criteria, but their efficacy remains unproved. By examining the association between dyslipidemia and venous thromboembolism, as well as the evidence that statins might prevent venous thromboembolism, there may be a new rationale for the use of this class of drugs. There may be a common link between arterial and venous thrombosis. Dyslipidemia may be one of the many systemic factors associated not only with arterial thrombosis, but with venous thromboembolism as well. This may occur through the effects of circulating lipid molecules on the vascular endothelium, platelet function, and coagulation factors. By impeding these mechanisms, statins may be protective against venous thrombosis, but epidemiologic studies are few in number, and no randomized clinical trials have been conducted. Better epidemiologic evidence is required to establish whether dyslipidemia is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism. If future observational studies can demonstrate that statins are associated with a lower risk of venous thromboembolism, then consideration should be given to conducting a randomized clinical trial comparing statins with placebo for the prevention of venous thromboembolism. Until then, the efficacy of statins for the prevention or treatment of venous thromboembolism remains uncertain.