Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33033975›Full record

Trial reportDigestive diseases and sciences2021

Safety of Chronic Simvastatin Treatment in Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis: Many Adverse Events but No Liver Injury.

Alberto E Muñoz, Florencia Pollarsky, Mónica Marino, Mariano Cartier, Carlos Míguez, Horacio Vázquez, Daniel Álvarez, Pablo Salgado, Gustavo Romero

Abstract readClinical Trial, Phase II
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Innovative simvastatin-loaded emulgel effectively treats vulvovaginal candidiasis: in vivo efficacy and in vitro biopharmaceutical analysis.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alberto E MuñozSección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. aemunoz@intramed.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5458-4692
Florencia PollarskySección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mónica MarinoSección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mariano CartierSección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Carlos MíguezSección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Horacio VázquezUnidad Clínica, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Investigador Asociado del Gobierno de La Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Daniel ÁlvarezServicio de Ecografía, Fundación Favaloro, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Favaloro, Av. Belgrano 1782 (1093), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pablo SalgadoInstituto de Investigaciones en Salud Pública, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Marcelo T. Alvear 2142 (1122), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gustavo RomeroSección de Hepatología, Hospital de Gastroenterología Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Caseros 2061 (1264), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Universidad de Buenos Aires · ARFavaloro University · AR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe high mortality rate of decompensated cirrhosis underlines the need for new treatments. Experimental models of cirrhosis and its reported relationship with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease have provided data supporting the rational use of statins in these patients. However, little is known about the safety of statins in this setting.

aimWe evaluate the safety of chronic simvastatin treatment in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

methodsWe conducted a prospective, open, uncontrolled, phase 2a trial in 30 patients with Child-Pugh class A (n = 6), B (n = 22), and C (n = 2) decompensated cirrhosis. The patients received standard treatment throughout the trial plus simvastatin 20 mg/day for 2 weeks and thereafter simvastatin 40 mg/day up to 1 year.

resultsSixteen out of 30 patients (53.3%) showed adverse events, including gastrointestinal toxicity (36.7%), muscle injury (MI) (36.7%), and headache (13.3%). No liver injury was registered. Due to MI alone, simvastatin dosage was reduced in 23.4% of cases and transiently interrupted in 13.3%. Once these adverse events were overcome, simvastatin was resumed until the end of the trial. MI was associated with baseline MELD score > 12 (p = 0.035) and with baseline Child-Pugh class C. No MI was associated with final Child-Pugh score ≤ 6 (p = 0.030) or final Child-Pugh class A (p = 0.020).

conclusionsChronic treatment with simvastatin 40 mg/day in patients with decompensated cirrhosis was associated with several adverse events, being MI the only clinically significant one, which appears to be related to the simvastatin dosage and the degree of cirrhosis severity. Noticeably, no liver injury was recorded.

Indexed as

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsLiver CirrhosisSimvastatinArgentinaCardiovascular DiseasesDisease ProgressionDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleGastrointestinal DiseasesHeadacheHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsLiverMaleMiddle AgedMyalgiaHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsSimvastatinFibrosisLiver diseaseSafetyStatins

Identifiers

PMID33033975
OpenAlexW3092436897

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.