Comparison of the effect of atorvastatin and aspirin on C-reactive protein concentration in hemodialysis patients

Introduction: Chronic inflammation is one of the underlying causes of cardiovascular disease which is commonly seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and especially in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), as well as the patients on stable dialysis. Hemodialysis patients suffer from high mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin and aspirin on C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration in hemodialysis patients and compare the effect of these two drugs on CRP concentration in these patients. Patients and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, the dialysis patients who had been on dialysis for more than four months were selected through medical records (N=75). Serum CRP was checked and those who had positive CRP entered in the analysis (n=20). Ten patients had been used atorvastatin at a dose of 20 mg daily and the other 10 patients received aspirin at a dose of 80 mg daily for two months. Serum CRP concentration was measured in all patients at the end of these two months. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.6 years and the mean number of years on dialysis was three years. In addition, 65% of patients were male and 35% were female. The only significant relationship was between the effect of atorvastatin and CRP concentration and the effect of aspirin on CRP concentration while no statistically significant relationship was found between the two groups of aspirin and atorvastatin in terms of serum CRP value after the intervention. Conclusion: The results indicated that the effect of aspirin and atorvastatin on CRP concentration was positive in hemodialysis patients and reduced the serum level of CRP, indicating the anti-inflammatory role of these two drugs in hemodialysis patients. It should be noted that drug preference was not determined in the present study.