Atorvastatin in the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Abstract

The effectiveness of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, atorvastatin, was studied in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Twenty five patients (nineteen patients had hypercholesterolemia at the start of treatment) with biopsyproven NASH were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/d) for 48 weeks. BMI did not change during the treatment period. Significant improvements were observed in blood markers of hepatic fibrosis, liver densities and adipocytokine levels with an improvement in serum aminotransferase level. No side effect of treatment was noted at any time during the study. In conclusion, the present data raise the possibility that an atorvastatin may be one of the effective therapies for NASH.