only group had a 3.5 percent incidence of adverse heart events over the course of more than 4-1/2 years of follow-up study, while the EPA-plus-statins group had only a 2.8 percent incidence of negative heart outcomes. The adverse events included in the primary goal of the study were sudden cardiac death, heart attacks, unstable angina or sustained chest pain, and the need to undergo procedures to reopen clogged arteries. The patients were further divided into those with histories of heart disease and those with no such history. When broken out, there was only a significant benefit from EPA demonstrated in the heart disease patients, researchers said. "The beneficial effects of EPA plus statins is more convincing in patients with coronary artery disease, as they are more prone to have major coronary events" compared with those with high cholesterol but no heart disease, Yokoyama said.
