Long-term statin therapy affects the severity of chronic gastritis.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major cause of chronic gastritis. Statins have several pleotropic effects and their mechanisms of action could be related to anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and immunomodulatory effects.
Aim: To determine whether statin therapy affects the severity of chronic gastritis.
Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study, we evaluated 516 patients who underwent upper endoscopy. One-hundred and ninety-eight patients had chronic gastritis, The 198 patients with chronic gastritis were divided into two groups: group 1 comprised patients with a history of statin therapy and group 2 comprised patients with no history of statin therapy. Both groups were compared for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), underlying diseases, drug therapy, alcohol consumption, smoking and the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). The presence of H. pylori was determined by gastric biopsy and rapid urease test. The grade and severity of gastritis were assessed using the updated Sydney classification system in two gastric biopsy specimens that were taken from each participant in each group.
Results: Of the 198 patients with chronic gastritis, 49% of the patients had mild gastritis and 51% had moderate to severe gastritis. From the results of a multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounding variables that included age, gender, and BMI, we found that elevated serum CRP levels (odds ratio (OR) 2.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.8-2.6, p = .02), H. pylori (OR 1.99; CI 0.14-2.4, p = .04), and the use of statin (OR 1.64; CI = 0.71-1.77, p = .05) independently predict the severity of chronic gastritis.
Conclusion: Long-standing statin therapy may reduce the severity of chronic gastritis. Mild increased CRP levels in absence of obvious source can predict the severity of chronic gastritis. Further researches are needed to assess the effect of statin in chronic gastritis.
(© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)