Cholesterol drug helpful for people with arthritis

	Tweet

Treatment with Lipitor—one of the cholesterol-lowering “statin” drugs—appears to reduce disease activity in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, according to a UK study.

In the study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, 116 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to take Lipitor (known chemically as atorvastatin) or an inactive placebo in addition to their current anti-rheumatic drug therapy.

Compared with placebo, atorvastatin therapy led to a significant improvement in disease activity during the 6-month study period, Dr. Iain McInnes, from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in the UK, and colleagues report. The number of swollen joints the patients had fell to a greater extent with the drug than with placebo.

“These data show that Statins can mediate modest but clinically apparent anti-inflammatory effects with modification of vascular risk factors in the context of high-grade autoimmune inflammation,” the team concludes.

In a related editorial, Dr. Lars Klareskog and Dr. Anders Hamsten, from the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, comment, “Although of limited size and short term, (the researchers’) findings support the use of atorvastatin, and presumably of other Statins, to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.”

SOURCE: Lancet, June 19, 2004.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lipitor is used for those who have abnormally High cholesterol levels. When taken together with a low-fat diet, this medicine can effectively reduce LDL cholesterol, commonly referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and total cholesterol, while increasing the HDL, or “good” cholesterol.

Order Lipitor online !
--------------------------------------------------------------

RELATED STORIES:
New Therapy May Fight Knee Osteoarthritis Pain   What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)?   Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Overview   New clues to healing arthritis caused by traumatic injury   Over half of people with rheumatoid arthritis have periodontitis   Anakinra useful for severe type of spinal arthritis   New study sheds light on role of type II collagen in rheumatoid arthritis   Short-term Celebrex seems safe for osteoarthritis   Arthritis drug appears safe for liver   Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis work, but which is best?   Knee arthritis? Flexible options can help keep you active   New mutant genes linked to rheumatoid arthritis

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]