Safety and efficacy of moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe versus high-intensity statin monotherapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis

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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), affects approximately 18.6 million individuals worldwide and poses a significant healthcare related challenge. Despite the established efficacy of both high-intensity statin monotherapy (HIS) and moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe (MIS+EZT) in ASCVD management, the optimal treatment strategy remains unclear. A thorough literature study was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane databases, focusing on studies that compared the effects of moderate-intensity statins plus ezetimibe with high-intensity statin monotherapy in ASCVD patients. In the 13 included studies, involving 8,592 patients, 4,525 (52.67 %) of which received moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe treatment. The follow-up period ranged from 4 to 156 weeks, with participant ages varying LDL-C from 55.2 to 71 years old. Analysis revealed significant MIS+EZT-associated with greater percentages of patients achieved the goal in Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL-C) < 70 (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.76; 95 % CI [1.26; 2.45]; p = 0.001; I² = 73 %), LDL-C reduction (Mean Difference (MD) -5.05 mg/dL; 95 % CI [-9.02;-1.07]; p < 0.013; I² = 56 %;); Total Cholesterol reduction (MD -7.91 mg/ dL; 95 % CI [-14.90; -0.91]; p < 0.027; I² = 60 %); Triglycerides reduction (MD -8.20 mg/ dL; 95 % CI [-13.05; -3.35]; p < 0.001; I² = 2 %;); There was no statistical difference between groups in Drug Adverse reaction (Risk Ratio (RR) 1.19; 95 % CI [0.79; 1.78]; p = 0.404; I² = 0 %); and Drug intolerance (RR 0.78; 95 % CI [0.32; 1.92]; p = 0.584; I² = 35 %). This meta-analysis highlights the effectiveness of MIS+EZT in improving significant lipid profile components for ASCVD patients, as can been seen through the greater percentage of patients achieving the LDL-C < 70 mg/dL target and lower LDL-C, total cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Importantly, there were no significant differences in the occurrence of overall adverse events and adverse drug reactions between the two groups.