the effect of two different doses of atorvastatin on lipoprotein-a on patients with acute coronary syndrome

background and objectives: lipoprotein-a potentially represents a useful tool for risk stratification in cardiovascular accidents.  the aim of this study was to evaluate the atorvastatin effect on serum lipid profile & lipoprotein a. material & methods: in 2009, 405 patients with acute coronary syndrome randomly were divided into 2 groups, taking 20 & 40 mg atorvastatin daily for 3 months. lipid profile & lipoprotein-a serum levels were checked at the beginning of the study and also one and three months later. results: there was no statistical difference between the two groups in all measurements except in patients with unstable angina. the difference lay in the change of lp-a level after one month (p=0.045) and in apo-a level in all patients in the second and the third measurements compared with the first one (p=0.001 & p=0.002). discussion: it appears that the two doses (20mg and 40mg) of atorvastatin have a reduction effect on lipoprotein-a and serum lipid levels, but no difference is seen in the level of reduction. the 40 mg atorvastatin leaves more effects on reduction of apo-a than on the 20 mg after one and three months.