Effect of Rosuvastatin on Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome and Hypercholesterolaemia: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Background There is no widely accepted treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or its advanced form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods We administered rosuvastatin (10 mg/day) for 1 year in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), NASH on liver biopsy and dyslipidaemia (but without diabetes or arterial hypertension). Patients also received lifestyle advice. Results We report preliminary results for 6 patients. The second biopsy (at the end of the study) showed complete resolution of NASH in 5 patients, while the 6(th), which had no improvement, developed arterial hypertension and substantial rise in triglyceride levels during the study. We suspect alcohol abuse despite advice to abstain. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities were reduced by 76 and 61%, respectively (p Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that rosuvastatin could ameliorate NASH within a year of treatment in MetS patients with dyslipidaemia.