Atorvastatin as Adjunctive Therapy in Hepatitis C-Induced Cirrhosis:Impact on Portal Hypertension via Doppler Damping Index

Authors

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of adding atorvastatin to non-selective beta-blocker (NSBB) therapy to reduce portal hypertension, as measured by the damping index, in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis over a three-month period.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial was conducted over six months, from February 21, 2022 to August 20, 2022. A total of 70 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomly assigned into two equal groups (n = 35). Group A received carvedilol in combination with atorvastatin 20 mg once daily at night, while Group B was treated with carvedilol alone. All participants were followed for a duration of three months. Portal hypertension was assessed non-invasively using Doppler ultrasound, with measurements focused on portal vein diameter (PVD) and hepatic vein damping index (DI) as surrogate markers of portal pressure.

Results

  The mean age was 47 ± 10.46 years in Group A and 49 ± 9.91 years in Group B. Baseline PVD was 16 ± 1.72 mm in Group A and 16 ± 1.99 mm in Group B. After three months, PVD decreased to 12 ± 2.17 mm in Group A and 14 ± 1.79 mm in Group B (p = 0.000). The mean DI at baseline was 0.83 ± 0.12 in Group A and 0.85 ± 0.13 in Group B, which decreased to 0.50 ± 0.05 and 0.70 ± 0.04, respectively (p = 0.047).

Conclusion

 The addition of atorvastatin to NSBB therapy significantly reduced portal hypertension—as reflected by both portal vein diameter and damping index—compared to NSBB alone in patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis.

Keywords:

Atorvastatin, Cirrhosis, Portal hypertension, Damping index.

Published

2026/03/04

Issue

Vol. Volume 7-issue 1

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