Effect of atorvastatin on serum periostin and blood eosinophils in asthma – a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on serum periostin level and blood eosinophil count in patients with asthma. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with asthma were enrolled and randomised into an intervention or placebo group, to receive 40 mg atorvastatin or similar placebo, daily, for 8 weeks. Spirometry was performed at baseline, and at the end of weeks 4 and 8; patients also provided blood samples and completed an asthma control test (ACT) at baseline and at the end of week 8. Primary study outcomes were blood eosinophil count and serum periostin levels. RESULTS: Eighty patients completed the study (40 per group). Mean ACT scores were similar between the intervention and placebo groups at baseline (17.95 ± 3.75 versus 17.98 ± 3.77, respectively), and improved in the intervention group (19.88 ± 3.28), but remained unchanged in the placebo group (18.6 ± 3.26) during the treatment period. No statistically significant differences in spirometric changes, blood eosinophil count or serum periostin levels were observed between the groups during the treatment period. CONCLUSION: Spirometric parameters and inflammatory markers did not change significantly in response to atorvastatin treatment, and did not differ between the placebo and intervention groups.