Statins may treat a debilitating intestinal problem that can leave patients regularly needing to use the toilet, a study suggests.
Stanford University experts have found atorvastatin — sold under the name Lipitor for just 54p a pill — can help ease the symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
Their data showed patients given the drug, normally used to lower cholesterol, were half as likely to need surgery or be hospitalised as patients receiving normal care.
It’s unclear exactly why statins improved their condition, but the pills are believed to have some anti-inflammatory benefits.
Colitis occurs when the colon and rectum become inflamed and ulcerated. It is the most common type of bowel disease.
It may lead to symptoms including diarrhoea, stomach pain and regularly needing to use the toilet, and is currently only treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
One in 400 people in the UK have the condition, which is about the same rate as in the US. About a third of patients end up needing surgery.
Stanford University researchers have found that atorvastatin — sold under the name Lipitor for just 54p a pill — can help ease the symptoms of ulcerative colitis patients.
In the study, the researchers combed through databases containing hundreds of ulcerative colitis patients in the US.
They looked at what treatments patients were being given for other conditions and compared their outcomes.
Those on cholesterol-lowering statins appeared to see the biggest improvements to their ulcerative colitis, as well as patients on two chemotherapy drugs.
Dr Purvesh Khatri, a biomedical expert at Stanford behind the study, argued the two cancer drugs wouldn’t be prescribed ‘due to serious side effects’.
But he added: ‘Statins are generally safe enough that some doctors joke they should be put in the water.’
Ulcerative colitis patients who were taking statins were also prescribed other anti-inflammatory medications at a lower rate.
While it’s not entirely known how statins reduce symptoms of the disease, Dr Khatri said they are known to have some sort of general anti-inflammatory abilities.
Dr Khatri added: ‘At this point, one could argue that this data shows a strong enough connection to start prescribing statins for ulcerative colitis.
‘I think we’re almost there. We need to validate the effects a bit more stringently before moving it into the clinic.’
The research team looked only at drugs that had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US so that, if they found a drug that worked, it could be rolled out to patients sooner.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
It comes after the Mail on Sunday reported thousands of bowel disease patients could be spared regular hospital visits and long waits for treatment with a simple test.
Currently, sufferers of ulcerative colitis, an incurable inflammatory condition that affects the colon, must visit an outpatient clinic for two days every few months for check-up.
This involves a sigmoidoscopy, during which a camera on a thin tube is inserted into the back passage.
Sigmoidoscopies can be done only in a hospital and three members of staff are needed to operate the equipment.
Patients then have to return a week later to speak to their doctor about their results.
Now, thanks to a new portable device called the LumenEye, sigmoidoscopies could be a thing of the past for colitis patients.
What is ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed.
The colon is the large intestine (bowel) and the rectum is the end of the bowel where stools are stored.
Small ulcers can develop on the colon’s lining, and can bleed and produce pus.
Symptoms of ulcerative colitis
The main symptoms of ulcerative colitis are:
recurring diarrhoea, which may contain blood, mucus or pustummy painneeding to empty your bowels frequently
You may also experience extreme tiredness (fatigue), loss of appetite and weight loss.
The severity of the symptoms varies, depending on how much of the rectum and colon is inflamed and how severe the inflammation is.
For some people, the condition has a significant impact on their everyday lives.
Symptoms of a flare-up
Some people may go for weeks or months with very mild symptoms, or none at all (remission), followed by periods where the symptoms are particularly troublesome (flare-ups or relapses).
During a flare-up, some people with ulcerative colitis also experience symptoms elsewhere in their body.
For example, some people develop:
painful and swollen joints (arthritis)mouth ulcersareas of painful, red and swollen skinirritated and red eyes
In severe cases, defined as having to empty your bowels 6 or more times a day, additional symptoms may include:
shortness of breatha fast or irregular heartbeata high temperature (fever)blood in your stools becoming more obvious
In most people, no specific trigger for flare-ups is identified, although a gut infection can occasionally be the cause.
Stress is also thought to be a potential factor.
When to get medical advice
You should see a GP as soon as possible if you have symptoms of ulcerative colitis and you have not been diagnosed with the condition.
They can arrange blood or stool sample tests to help determine what may be causing your symptoms.
If necessary, they can refer you to hospital for further tests.
Find out more about diagnosing ulcerative colitis
If you have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and think you may be having a severe flare-up, contact a GP or your care team for advice.
You may need to be admitted to hospital.
If you cannot contact your GP or care team, call NHS 111 or contact your local out-of-hours service.
What causes ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is thought to be an autoimmune condition.
This means the immune system, the body’s defence against infection, goes wrong and attacks healthy tissue.
The most popular theory is that the immune system mistakes harmless bacteria inside the colon for a threat and attacks the tissues of the colon, causing it to become inflamed.
Exactly what causes the immune system to behave in this way is unclear.
Most experts think it’s a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Who’s affected
It’s estimated around 1 in every 420 people living in the UK has ulcerative colitis. This amounts to around 146,000 people.
The condition can develop at any age, but is most often diagnosed in people aged from 15 to 25 years old.
It’s more common in white people of European descent, especially those descended from Ashkenazi Jewish communities, and black people.
The condition is rarer in people from Asian backgrounds, although the reasons for this are unclear.
Both men and women seem to be equally affected by ulcerative colitis.
How ulcerative colitis is treated
Treatment for ulcerative colitis aims to relieve symptoms during a flare-up and prevent symptoms from returning (maintaining remission).
In most people, this is achieved by taking medicine, such as:
aminosalicylates (ASAs)corticosteroidsimmunosuppressants
Mild to moderate flare-ups can usually be treated at home. But more severe flare-ups need to be treated in hospital.
If medicines are not effective at controlling your symptoms or your quality of life is significantly affected by your condition, surgery to remove your colon may be an option.
During surgery, your small intestine will either be diverted out of an opening in your abdomen (an ileostomy) or be used to create an internal pouch that’s connected to your anus called an ileoanal pouch.
Complications of ulcerative colitis
Complications of ulcerative colitis include:
primary sclerosing cholangitis – where the bile ducts inside the liver become damagedan increased risk of developing bowel cancerpoor growth and development in children and young people
Also, some of the medications used to treat ulcerative colitis can cause weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) as a side effect.
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