Effect of fluvastatin on serum prohepcidin levels in patients with end-stage renal disease.
OBJECTIVE
Anemia, low-grade inflammation and/or alterations in lipid metabolism are common findings in individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) despite advances in dialysis treatment. Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, may play an important role in the interdependence of inflammation and anemia in ESRD patients. Statins may reduce cardiovascular events in dialysis patients and have pleiotropic effects in addition to lowering total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol.


METHODS
Because there is a paucity of data on the effect of statins on serum prohepcidin levels in dialysis patients, this 8-week study was conducted to test the effect of fluvastatin (80 mg/day, n=22) compared with placebo (n=18) on circulating serum prohepcidin, a prohormone of hepcidin, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in dyslipidemic ESRD patients with renal anemia.


RESULTS
Fluvastatin treatment decreased total cholesterol (P<0.05), LDL-cholesterol (P<0.01), hs-CRP (P<0.05) and serum prohepcidin levels (P<0.05) significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Our pilot data suggest that short-term statin treatment may exert a beneficial effect on serum prohepcidin levels in ESRD patients. The potential clinical benefits of statins on renal anemia need to be confirmed and expanded with an appropriately powered long-term study.
Department of Internal Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
Mahmut
M
Arabul
Mustafa
M
Gullulu
Yusuf
Y
Yilmaz
Ibrahim
I
Akdag
Serdar
S
Kahvecioglu
Mehmet Ali
MA
Eren
Kamil
K
Dilek
D000328:Adult; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D006435:Renal Dialysis
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D064451:Hepcidins; D007211:Indoles; D008055:Lipids; D011498:Protein Precursors; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein