Statin Therapy May Benefit Patients With Hepatitis B or C Related Cirrhosis

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections can lead to cirrhosis as well as liver cancer.A recent study on Hepatology from Taiwan has found statin drugs to be beneficial in patients with HBV- or HCV-related cirrhosis.

When the liver fails to compensate for the functional overload resulting from disease, a situation called decompensation occurs. Decompensation significantly lowers the survival rate among patients with cirrhosis, and very few effective drugs are available.

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‘Statin therapy may benefit patients who have infections with Hepatitis B or C virus that could result in cirrhosis as well as liver cancer.’

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This latest study assessed information on 1350 cirrhotic patients identified from a representative group of Taiwan National Health Insurance beneficiaries from 2000 to 2013. Statin use was linked with a decreased risk of decompensation in a dose-dependent manner.

"The study demonstrates a favorable outcome that should be re-confirmed by future prospective and large-scaled studies," said senior author Dr. Ching-Liang Lu. "Moreover, future investigations should also explore whether the favorable effect of statin use can also be extended to cirrhosis due to other causes, such as alcohol."

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Source-Eurekalert

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