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Thorax 2008;63:1070-1075 doi:10.1136/thx.2008.100198
  • Asthma

Effects of atorvastatin added to inhaled corticosteroids on lung function and sputum cell counts in atopic asthma

  1. E J Hothersall1,
  2. R Chaudhuri1,
  3. C McSharry2,
  4. I Donnelly2,
  5. J Lafferty1,
  6. A D McMahon3,
  7. C J Weir3,
  8. J Meiklejohn1,
  9. N Sattar4,
  10. I McInnes5,
  11. S Wood6,
  12. N C Thomson1
  1. 1
    Respiratory Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  2. 2
    Immunology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  3. 3
    Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  4. 4
    Vascular Biochemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  5. 5
    Rheumatology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  6. 6
    General Practice, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
  1. Professor N C Thomson, Respiratory Medicine Section, Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, University of Glasgow and Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK; n.c.thomson{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk
  • Received 9 April 2008
  • Accepted 29 June 2008
  • Published Online First 29 August 2008

Abstract

Background: Statins have anti-inflammatory properties that may be beneficial in the treatment of asthma. A study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that atorvastatin added to inhaled corticosteroids improves lung function and airway inflammation in atopic adults with asthma.

Methods: 54 adults with atopic asthma were recruited to a double-blind randomised controlled crossover trial comparing the effect of oral atorvastatin 40 mg daily with that of a matched placebo on asthma control and airway inflammation. Each treatment was administered for 8 weeks separated by a 6-week washout period. The primary outcome was morning peak expiratory flow (PEF). Secondary outcomes included forced expiratory volume in 1 s, asthma control questionnaire score, airway hyper-responsiveness to methacholine, induced sputum cytology and inflammatory biomarkers.

Results: At 8 weeks the change in mean morning PEF compared with baseline did not differ substantially between the atorvastatin and placebo treatment periods (mean difference −0.5 l/min, 95% CI −10.6 to 9.6, p = 0.921). Values for other clinical outcomes were similar between the atorvastatin and placebo treatment periods. The absolute sputum macrophage count was reduced after atorvastatin compared with placebo (mean difference −45.0×104 cells, 95% CI −80.1 to −9.7, p = 0.029), as was the sputum fluid leucotriene B4 (mean difference −88.1 pg/ml, 95% CI −156.4 to −19.9, p = 0.014).

Conclusion: The addition of atorvastatin to inhaled corticosteroids results in no short-term improvement in asthma control but reduces sputum macrophage counts in mild to moderate atopic asthma. The change in sputum macrophage count suggests potential areas for investigation of statins in other chronic lung diseases.

Footnotes

  • Funding: Funded by Asthma UK.

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Ethics approval: All participants gave written informed consent and the study was approved by the West Glasgow ethics committee.

  • This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr Stuart Wood, Senior Lecturer in General Practice at the University of Glasgow, who died in March 2006.

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  4. All Versions of this Article:
    1. thx.2008.100198v1
    2. 63/12/1070 most recent

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