Effect of atorvastatin on inflammatory markers in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Background Cardiovascular disease is the commonest cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under maintenance hemodialysis. Dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and low-grade inflammation with increased circulating cytokines are factors that increase the cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease, in addition to traditional risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. We aimed to investigate the possible anti-inflammatory effects of atorvastatin in prevalent hemodialysis patients. Fifty-three stable adult hemodialysis patients were assigned into two groups (a drug group and a control group). Patients in the drug group received 20 mg of atorvastatin daily for 6 months. Serum levels of highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in both groups at baseline and at the end of the study period. Results Atorvastatin therapy caused a statistically significant decrease in levels of hs-CRP but no change in levels of IL-6 after 6 months of therapy. Conclusions In addition to its favorable effect on lipid profile parameters, atorvastatin therapy can be considered as an effective and safe modality to overcome the problem of chronic inflammation encountered in end-stage renal disease patients.

Statins Have an Anti‐Inflammation in CKD Patients: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Trials

“…Dialysis patients were included in 14 studies [ 39 – 42 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 51 – 55 , 61 , 63 ], and CKD patients were included in 11 studies [ 43 , 44 , 47 , 49 , 50 , 56 – 60 , 62 ]. Patients received fluvastatin in 3 studies [ 39 , 43 , 53 ], rosuvastatin in 7 studies [ 40 , 45 , 48 , 51 , 59 , 60 , 62 ], atorvastatin in 8 studies [ 44 , 46 , 47 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 63 ], simvastatin in 4 studies [ 41 , 55 , 58 , 61 ], lovastatin in 1 study [ 50 ], and pravastatin in 2 studies [ 42 , 57 ]. The dosage of statins was ranged from 5 mg to 80 mg daily.…”

“…For IL-6, 8 studies [ 44 , 45 , 47 , 50 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 61 ] were included in the meta-analysis, and the pooled results showed that there was no significant difference between the statin and control groups (0.1 pg/mL; 95% CI: -0.93 to 1.13, p = 0.85). For TNF- α , 4 studies [ 47 , 50 , 55 , 61 ] were included in the meta-analysis, and the pooled results showed that there was no significant difference between the statin and control groups (-7.06 pg/mL; 95% CI: -14.49 to 0.38, p = 0.06).…”

“…Primary Outcome: CRP. A total of 24 studies [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] were included in the meta-analysis for the CRP between the two groups. In the pooled analysis, the use of statins was associated with a significantly decreased CRP in patients with CKD (-2.06 mg/L; 95% CI: -2.85 to -1.27, p < 0:01, Figure 3).…”