The CARDS trial: diabetic patients dealt a winning hand.

Until recently, the role of statin therapy in diabetic patients without clinical signs or symptoms of coronary heart disease had been inadequately defined. The Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study (CARDS) is a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial designed to compare the effects of atorvastatin with placebo in preventing primary coronary events in diabetic patients. After a median of only 3.9 years (the study was terminated approximately 2 years early due to the magnitude of benefit attributable to atorvastatin therapy), risk for major cardiovascular events was decreased by 37%, acute coronary heart disease-related events were also reduced by 36%, coronary revascularizations by 31%, and stroke by 48%. Benefit emerged within 1 year of initiating therapy.