Asian Spine J.  2017 Dec;11(6):903-907. 10.4184/asj.2017.11.6.903.

Effects of Atorvastatin in Patients with Acute Spinal Cord Injury

• Aghazadeh
• Samadi Motlagh P
• Salehpour
• Meshkini A
• Fatehi M
• Mirzaei F
• Naseri Alavi SA

• KMID: 2397628
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4184/asj.2017.11.6.903

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical trial study. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin on sensory and motor function in patients with acute spinal cord injury. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The prevalence and incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury are increasing. Statins are well established for use in hypercholesterolemia as well as during anti-inflammatory events.
METHODS
This clinical trial study included 60 patients with acute spinal cord injury. These were randomly divided into two groups: the case group which received atorvastatin and also underwent surgical therapy and the control group which only underwent surgical therapy.
RESULTS
The severity of spinal cord lesions was evaluated based on the Frankel grade at three periods; this showed no significant difference between the two groups. Comparisons of the levels of pain between the groups based on a Visual Analog Scale system showed no significant difference at the three periods.
CONCLUSIONS
We observed no improvement at the 3- and 6-month follow-up in patients who were administered atorvastatin. However, a comparison of the two groups based on pain severity demonstrated a significant difference, suggesting that atorvastatin had a positive effect on patients with spinal cord injury.

Keyword

Wound and injuries; Spinal cord injuries; Atorvastatin; Pain

MeSH Terms

Atorvastatin Calcium*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Hypercholesterolemia
Incidence
Prevalence
Spinal Cord Injuries*
Spinal Cord*
Visual Analog Scale
Atorvastatin Calcium