Investigation of the Effects of Statin Therapy on Serum Vitamin E Status in Patients with Dyslipidemia

Abstract

There are limited data on the effects of statins on serum vitamin E status in dyslipidaemic patients, and no comparisons between statins have been published previously. We have investigated the effect of Atorvastatin and Simvastatin on serum vitamin E status in dyslipidaemic patients. A total of 20 dyslipidaemic patients (14 males, 6 females, mean age 49.15±3.28 years), previously not treated with a lipid lowering agent, were recruited into the study. These patients were randomized to treatment group and received either: Simvastatin 10mg/day (n = 11) or Atorvastatin 10mg/day (n = 9) for 4 months. The control group comprised 14 patients from the same clinic, who were given lifestyle advice, but whose drug treatment remained unchanged for the duration of the study. Serum concentrations of vitamin E, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fasted lipid profiles pre- and post-treatment were measured in all subjects. There were the expected significant reductions in serum lipids in the patients treated with either statin (P<0.001). Overall statin treatment was also associated with a significant reduction in serum vitamin E (21%, P<0.001) and hs-CRP (45%, P<0.05). There was no significant change in these parameters in the control patients. The serum vitamin E / total cholesterol ratio was not significantly altered in patients receiving Atorvastatin, or Simvastatin despite the significant reduction in serum vitamin E. No change in vitamin E status was observed in the controls.