Evaluation and subgroup analysis of the efficacy and safety of intensive rosuvastatin therapy combined with dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the efficacy of intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in reducing stroke recurrence for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and compared subgroups of patients. METHODS: We enrolled patients with AIS whose time of onset to medication was ≤ 72 h, and the baseline scores of NIHSS (bNIHSS) were 0–10. The patients received intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel (study group) or rosuvastatin plus single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT, control group). The primary outcomes were recurrence of ischemic stroke, bleeding, statin-induced liver injury, and statin-associated myopathy (SAM) within 90 days. We also performed a subgroup analysis to assess the heterogeneity of the two therapy regimens in reducing recurrent stroke. RESULTS: Recurrent stroke occurred in 10 patients in the study group and 42 patients in the control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.373, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.178–0.780; P = 0.009). Bleeding events occurred in 9 patients in the study group and 14 patients in the control group (HR, 1.019; 95%CI, 0.441–2.353; P = 0.966). Statin-induced liver injury and SAM were not recorded. Intensive rosuvastatin plus 7-day DAPT was generally effective in reducing the risk of recurrent stroke, except in the subgroup with bNIHSS ≤ 2. The therapy was particularly efficient in the elderly, male, high-bNIHSS, and hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia subgroups, with P < 0.02. CONCLUSIONS: Without increasing bleeding and statin-associated adverse events, intensive rosuvastatin therapy plus 7-day DAPT significantly reduced the risk of recurrent stroke, especially for subgroups with high-risk factors. Clinical trial registration. China Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR1800017809). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00228-022-03442-8.