- Researchers report that in a new study, statins used to lower cholesterol were found to be a potential treatment for ulcerative colitis.
- They said people with the inflammatory bowel disease who were taking statins had a 50 percent reduced rate of colectomy surgeries.
- However, other experts said more research is needed before statins are declared an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis.
Cholesterol-lowering statins may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis.
In a recent study, researchers from Stanford University in California found the commonly prescribed medications lowered hospitalization rates and the need for a total colectomy in people with the inflammatory bowel disease.
“About 30 percent of ulcerative colitis patients eventually have to undergo a colectomy as a last resort. It’s a drastic measure. You’re removing part of your body,” Purvesh Khatri, PhD, lead author of the study and an associate professor of medicine and biomedical data science at Stanford University, said in a press release.
“So we thought, ‘Can we use available data to see whether drugs that are already approved by the FDA can be repurposed to better treat these patients?’” he added.
Khatri and colleagues analyzed data from hundreds of people with ulcerative colitis. The data included prescription information.
They then analyzed genomic data to determine how certain drugs influenced gene activity that’s associated with ulcerative colitis.
They identified three drugs that seemed effective at reversing the gene signature that contributes to the inflammatory disease.
Two of them were chemotherapy drugs, which Khatri said doctors wouldn’t prescribe due to significant side effects. The third drug was a statin.
Researchers examined electronic health records to determine whether study participants with ulcerative colitis were on a statin, and if they were, whether they had needed a colectomy.
They found that those with ulcerative colitis who were taking a statin had a 50 percent lower rate of colectomy than their peers who weren’t taking a statin. They were also less likely to be hospitalized due to their disease.
“At this point, one could argue that this data shows a strong enough connection to start prescribing statins for ulcerative colitis,” Khatri said in the statement. “I think we’re almost there. We need to validate the effects a bit more stringently before moving it into the clinic.”
Source: healthline