Statins Are Associated With a Decreased Risk of Decompensation and Death in Veterans With Hepatitis C-Related Compensated Cirrhosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Statins decrease portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis and increase survival times of patients who have bled from varices. However, statins can be hepatotoxic. It is important to determine whether long-term statin use will be beneficial or detrimental for patients with cirrhosis because physicians are reluctant to prescribe statins to patients with liver disease. We investigated the effects of statins on decompensation and survival times in patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort using the Veteran Affairs Clinical Case Registry, which contains nationwide data from veterans infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We identified patients with compensated cirrhosis from January 1996 through December 2009. Statin

SUBMITTER: Mohanty A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4727998 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature