Title:Statins Enhance the Potency of First Line Anti-Helicobacter Regimens to
that of Second Line Regimens
Volume: 17
Issue: 5
Author(s): Ahmad Hormati, Sajjad Ahmadpour*, Zeynab Rezaei, Gholam Reza Sivandzadeh, Mohammad Saeidi, Elham Jafari, Abolfazl Mohammadbeigi and Javad Khodadadi*
Affiliation:
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Diseases Research Center, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
- Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Kamkar-Arabnia Hospital, Qom
University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
Keywords:
Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, eradication efficacy, stool antigen test, second line regimen.
Abstract:
Background: Infection-related to Helicobacter pylori (HP) is one of the most common human
bacterial infections, affecting about 50% of the human population. This bacterium causes chronic inflammation
and eventually mucosal gastric metaplasia. Antibiotics are commonly used to eradicate Helicobacter
pylori infection. Presumably, statins could increase the effectiveness of anti-HP regimens because
of some anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties attributed to these anti-lipidemic agents.
Methods: Two hundred patients with both gastrointestinal symptoms and positive urease test were included.
Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups with 100 cases. One group received
pantoprazole 40 mg, twice per day (BD) + atorvastatin 40 mg, daily + bismuth subcitrate 240 mg, BD
+ Amoxicillin 1 g, BD + Levofloxacin 500 mg, daily and the other one received pantoprazole 40 mg
BD + atorvastatin 40 mg, daily + bismuth subcitrate 240 mg, BD + Amoxicillin 1 g, BD + Clarithromycin
(Fromilid) 500 mg, BD for two weeks. A stool antigen test for HP was performed one month
after drug treatment ended, and the results were compared.
Results: According to our findings, eradication of HP infection in both groups was 87%, and there was
no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p-value = 1).
Conclusion: The current study highlighted that adding atorvastatin to the first line anti-HP infection
regimen could increase the potency and efficacy of the regimen to that of second-line regimen. Moreover,
the addition of atorvastatin to the second line regimen did not bear any beneficial effect.
