Abstract: AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of simvastatin on exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with stable exertional angina pectoris and hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Ninety patients with stable exertional angina pectoris, positive rate of exercise test and hypercholesterolemia were randomly divided into two groups:the therapy group assigned to a 12-week treatment period either diet plus simvastatin (n=45) ;the control group with diet alone (n=45).All the patients underwent exercise testing before and after the treatment period.RESULTS: (1) Simvastatin-treated patients had a significant variation in total cholesterol, triglyccrides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol after treatment (P<0.05), whereas the control group had not.(2) After a 12-week treatment, only 8 patients (18 %) of the therapy group had positive rates in exercise test, whereas 41 patients (91 %) of the control group still had positive rates in exercise test.Exercise tolerance had significantly improved in the therapy group, the time to ST depression of 1.0 mm had prolonged and the severity of ST depression had reduced after treatment (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Besides the cholesterol-lowering effect, simvastatin can relieve exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with stable exertional angina pectoris and hypercholesterolemia.

Key words: simvastatin, angina pectoris, exercise test, hypercholesterolemia