To evaluate the effect of statins for erectile dysfunction (ED), a systematic review of the literature was conducted in the Cochrane Library, Embase and PubMed from the inception of each database to June 2013. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing treatment for ED with statins were identiifed. Placebo RCTs with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) as the outcome measure were eligible for meta-analysis. A total of seven RCTs including two statins with a total of 586 patients strictly met our criteria for systematic review and ifve of them qualiifed for the meta-analysis. A meta-analysis using a random effects model showed that statins were associated with a signiifcant increase in IIEF-5 scores (mean difference (MD):3.27;95%conifdential interval (CI):1.51 to 5.02;P<0.01) and an overall improvement of lipid proifles including total cholesterol (MD:-1.08;95%CI:-1.68 to-0.48;P<0.01), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (MD:-1.43;95%CI:-2.07 to-0.79;P<0.01), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (MD:0.24;95%CI:0.13 to 0.35;P<0.01) and triglycerides (TGs) (MD:-0.55;95%CI:-0.61 to -0.48;P< 0.01). In summary, our study revealed positive consequences of these lipid-lowering drugs on erectile function, especially for nonresponders to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is). However, it has been reported that statin therapy may reduce levels of testosterone and aggravate symptoms of ED. Therefore, larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to investigate the double-edged role of statins in the treatment of ED.

Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors are widely used for the treatment of hypercholesteremia and have showed remarkable activity in preventing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent studies demonstrated that statins have significant antithrombotic effect in addition to cholesterollowering action. Although the efficacy of statins for reducing cardiovascular events has historically been ascribed to their inhibitory activity on cholesterol synthesis, the degree of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction by statins generally does not correlate with the magnitude of coronary risk reduction.

Background: Ongoing low-grade inflammation and endothelial dysfunction persist in children with coronary lesions diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD). Statins, frequently used in the management of high cholesterol, have also shown to improve surrogate markers of infl ammation and endothelial dysfunction. This study was undertaken to investigate the effi cacy and safety of pravastatin in children with coronary artery aneurysms due to KD.
Methods: The study enrolled 14 healthy children and 13 male children, aged 2-10 years, with medium-to-giant coronary aneurysms for at least 12 months after the onset of KD. Pravastatin was given orally to the KD group at a dose of 5 mg/day for children under 5 and 10 mg/day for children older than 5 years. To determine the effects of pravastatin on endothelial function, high-frequency ultrasound was performed before the start of the study and 6 months after pravastatin therapy. The parameters measured were brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), non-flow mediated dilation (NMD), and carotid artery stiffness index (SI). High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, the circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) number, and serum lipid profiles were also determined at baseline and after 6 months of pravastatin treatment.
Results: Before treatment, the KD group had significantly decreased FMD (P<0.05) and increased SI and hs-CRP levels (P<0.05) compared with controls. After 6 months of pravastatin therapy, FMD improved significantly compared to the baseline KD group (3.16±6.49 to 10.05±7.74, P<0.05), but remained significantly less than that in the control group with no signifi cant changes in NMD and SI. There were signifi cant decreases in markers of inflammation after treatment. The hs-CRP levels decreased signifi cantly from 2.93±0.81 mmol/L to 2.14±0.82 mmol/L (P<0.05) and the serum apo-B and apo-B/apo-A1 ratio were also reduced (P<0.05) in the KD group. However, the circulating EPC number was not signifi cantly different between baseline and that following pravastatin treatment in the KD group and the control group (P>0.05). No signifi cant complications were noted with paravastatin therapy.
Conclusions: Pravastatin improves endothelial function and reduces low-grade chronic infl ammation in patients with coronary aneurysms due to KD. Children with coronary aneurysms due to KD may benefit from statin therapy.