Comparative studies on the effects of different doses of atorvastatin combined with aspirin on inflammatory cytokines and carotid plaques in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease

Abstract

Objective: To make comparative studies on the effects of different doses of atorvastatin combined with aspirin on inflammatory cytokines, blood lipids, blood glucose, other biochemical indexes and carotid plaques in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) and carotid plaques. Method: One hundred and twenty patients with ICVD and carotid plaques admitted by Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine Hospital from December 2016 to December 2017 were selected and randomly divided into experimental group and control group, 60 cases in each group. Patients in the control group was asked to orally take standard dose of atorvastatin (20 mg/d) combined with aspirin enteric-coated tablets (100 mg/d). Patients in the experimental group was asked to orally take high-dose atorvastatin (40 mg/d) combined with the same amount of aspirin enteric-coated tablets. Patients in two groups were treated for 6 months averagely. The levels of inflammatory factors, changes in blood biochemical parameters and carotid plaque degrees of patients in two groups before and after treatment were inspected and compared. Results: The levels of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and homocysteine (Hcy) in patients of the experimental group after treatment were higher than those in the control group, difference with statistical significance (p < .05). The total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients of the experimental group after treatment were lower than those in the control group and before treatment. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was higher than that of the control group and before treatment, the levels of fasting blood glucose (FBS) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAIc) in patients of the experimental group significantly increased compared to those before treatment, difference with statistical significance (p < .05). There was no significant change in the control group. The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque area in patients of the experimental group were lower than those in the control group and before treatment, difference with statistical significance (p < .05). Conclusion: High-dose atorvastatin combined with aspirin for treatment of patients with ICVD can effectively reduce inflammatory inflammatory cytokine levels in serum and reduce IMT and carotid plaque area. With more obvious effect than lower dose of atorvastatin combined with aspirin, it is easy to cause blood glucose abnormality. So, it is necessary to pay attention to monitoring blood sugar during medication period.

Keywords: Atorvastatin; aspirin; blood glucose; blood lipid; carotid plaque; dose; inflammatory factor; ischemic cerebrovascular disease.