Statins
Statins are lipid-lowering medications that rank among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world. Concerns about new guidelines, a scientific statement regarding statin intolerance, and recent studies that explore the impact of their use on various noncardiac conditions have once again made statins the top trending clinical topic of the week. For example, the global prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD for short, is reportedly increasing at an alarming rate. Now, new findings suggest that statins may be beneficial in addressing NAFLD. Research presented at the annual International Liver Congress used data from the Rotterdam Elderly Study to look at the possible benefits of statins in people with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Beyond the reduction in NAFLD incidence, looking only at a subset of patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD, statin use was associated with a 45% reduction in NASH (odds ratio [OR], 0.55; P = .031). Researchers determined that statins may be reducing the formation of lipid droplets and influencing the expression of important inflammatory genes. Experts suggest that more research is needed. "As far as I am aware, there is no robust evidence from large, randomized trials to suggest statins lessen chances of NAFLD, or improve its surrogate markers such as ALT or GGT [gamma-glutamyltransferase] levels," Naveed Sattar, PhD, commented in an interview.
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