For a study, researchers sought to perform a meta-analysis to examine the clinical effectiveness of simvastatin in patients suffering from liver cirrhosis. They searched the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library for randomized controlled trials that focused on using simvastatin in patients with liver cirrhosis. The effectiveness of simvastatin on results was considered the primary endpoint, while the drug’s security was considered the secondary goal. A total of 554 publications that were relevant to the study were downloaded. However, only 9 of those articles (representing 648 people) were eligible to be included in the analysis [Risk ratio (RR): 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.73; P<0.01]; 4 investigations indicated the effect of simvastatin on patient mortality. The total death rate was considerably lower in the simvastatin group compared to the control group. Simvastatin was found to significantly reduce the incidence of fatal bleeding (relative risk [RR]: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.95; P=0.04), as well as cholesterol [mean difference (MD): −31.48; 95% CI: −52.80 to −10.15; P<0.01] and triglyceride [MD: −25.88; 95% CI: −49.90 to −1.86; P=0.03). On the other hand, Simvastatin did not dramatically raise alanine aminotransferase levels (ALT) (MD: 2.34; 95% CI: −31.00 to 35.69; P=0.89) and was not related to the occurrence of any additional adverse events. The prevention of deadly bleeding was the mechanism through which the administration of simvastatin in cirrhotic patients reduced the overall mortality rate.
Source – journals.lww.com/jcge/Abstract/2022/09000/Simvastatin_is_Efficacious_in_Treating_Cirrhosis_.2.aspx
