Atorvastatin: Effects on clinical symptoms and laboratory markers of cholecystitis

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Created On: 19/05/2023

To study the usefulness of Atorvastatin on clinical symptoms and inflammatory markers of patients with gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis) who were scheduled to undergo gallbladder removal surgery.

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Key take away

The daily use of Atorvastatin dosed at 40 mg for four weeks prior to gall bladder removal can serve as a suitable therapy to decrease the complications of intraoperative bleeding.

Background

Method

The study population comprised 94 patients who were applicants for cholecystectomy. They were randomized into two groups: (1) Intervention group: 47 patients who received Atorvastatin 40 mg; and (2) Placebo group: 47 patients who were given a placebo, both every day for a period of 4 weeks.

Occurrence of fever, pain in the abdomen, nausea before and after cholecystectomy, along with data around the time of the surgery (surgery duration and intraoperative bleeding) and laboratory data [markers of inflammation: White Blood Count (WBC), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALT)] were all noted down. SPSS Version 22 was used to examine the data as per the chi-squared and independent t-tests with a level of significance of P≤0.05.

Result

There was no significant difference in the duration of hospitalization, but patients in the intervention group had a significantly longer duration of surgery. The frequency of abdominal pain, fever, and nausea post-cholecystectomy was not statistically different. Compared to the intervention group, the volume of intraoperative bleeding was more in the placebo group. Other than higher AST levels after the surgery in the intervention group, the decrease in WBC, CRP and ALT levels was not statistically different.

Conclusion

Atorvastatin (lipid-lowering medicine) effectively lowered the volume of intraoperative bleeding. But, its dose and duration did not significantly minimize the duration of hospitalization, the surgery period, and the levels of laboratory markers.