The Effect of Atorvastatin on Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are many studies about statins showing that these drugs have some anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and might reduce inflammatory markers in rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study is to evaluate atorvastatin effect on clinical and laboratory markers in rheumatoid arthritis. Patients and This study is a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial carried out from March 2005 to July 2006. 66 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who had been referred to rheumatology clinic in Hazrat Rasool-e-Akram Hospital were selected and divided into two groups to receive atorvastatin or placebo in a double-blind manner. The two groups were similar in terms of disease duration and activity and anti-rheumatoid therapy. 32 patients received atorvastatin and 34 patients received placebo. Patient's data were recorded in the first visit and at the end of the 4th and 24th weeks of therapy. The mean age of the subjets was 51.84 years in atorvastatin group and 47 years in placebo group. Mean duration of the disease was 7.06 years in atorvastatin group and 7.8 years in placebo group. Except for morning stiffness in placebo group, no significant difference was seen in clinical and laboratory findings. This study showed no significant decrease in inflammatory markers in rheumatoid arthritis treated with atorvastatin.