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

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 6th, 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 < 0.001 for both), during treatment, while γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), and alkaline phosphatase (AP) showed smaller non significant reductions. Fasting plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly reduced (p<0.05). Lipid values were totally normalised and liver ultrasonography showed a complete resolution of NASH in 5 patients. Body mass index and waist circumference remained unchanged during the study. Thus, changes in liver pathology and function should be attributed to treatment with rosuvastatin. A substantial limitation of the study is the small number of patients. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that rosuvastatin could ameliorate NASH within a year of treatment in MetS patients with dyslipidaemia.