Statins don't just lower cholesterol! Study finds cheap pills may also help treat ulcerative colitis
- Stanford University researchers said a simple statin could reduce symptoms
- Data showed it left ulcerative colitis patients half as likely to need surgery
- It occurs when the colon and rectum become inflamed and have ulcers
Statins may treat a debilitating intestinal problem that can leave patients regularly needing to use the toilet, a study suggests.
Stanford University experts have found atorvastatin — sold under the name Lipitor for just 54p a pill — can help ease the symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
Their data showed patients given the drug, normally used to lower cholesterol, were half as likely to need surgery or be hospitalised as patients receiving normal care.
It's unclear exactly why statins improved their condition, but the pills are believed to have some anti-inflammatory benefits.
Colitis occurs when the colon and rectum become inflamed and ulcerated. It is the most common type of bowel disease.
It may lead to symptoms including diarrhoea, stomach pain and regularly needing to use the toilet, and is currently only treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
One in 400 people in the UK have the condition, which is about the same rate as in the US. About a third of patients end up needing surgery.
Stanford University researchers have found that atorvastatin — sold under the name Lipitor for just 54p a pill — can help ease the symptoms of ulcerative colitis patients.
In the study, the researchers combed through databases containing hundreds of ulcerative colitis patients in the US.
They looked at what treatments patients were being given for other conditions and compared their outcomes.
Those on cholesterol-lowering statins appeared to see the biggest improvements to their ulcerative colitis, as well as patients on two chemotherapy drugs.
Dr Purvesh Khatri, a biomedical expert at Stanford behind the study, argued the two cancer drugs wouldn't be prescribed 'due to serious side effects'.
But he added: 'Statins are generally safe enough that some doctors joke they should be put in the water.'
Ulcerative colitis patients who were taking statins were also prescribed other anti-inflammatory medications at a lower rate.
While it’s not entirely known how statins reduce symptoms of the disease, Dr Khatri said they are known to have some sort of general anti-inflammatory abilities.
Dr Khatri added: 'At this point, one could argue that this data shows a strong enough connection to start prescribing statins for ulcerative colitis.
'I think we’re almost there. We need to validate the effects a bit more stringently before moving it into the clinic.'
The research team looked only at drugs that had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US so that, if they found a drug that worked, it could be rolled out to patients sooner.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
It comes after the Mail on Sunday reported thousands of bowel disease patients could be spared regular hospital visits and long waits for treatment with a simple test.
Currently, sufferers of ulcerative colitis, an incurable inflammatory condition that affects the colon, must visit an outpatient clinic for two days every few months for check-up.
This involves a sigmoidoscopy, during which a camera on a thin tube is inserted into the back passage.
Sigmoidoscopies can be done only in a hospital and three members of staff are needed to operate the equipment.
Patients then have to return a week later to speak to their doctor about their results.
Now, thanks to a new portable device called the LumenEye, sigmoidoscopies could be a thing of the past for colitis patients.
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