Effect of atorvastatin on kidney function in chronic kidney disease: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundThe effect of atorvastatin on kidney function was assessed in patients with stages 2–4 chronic kidney disease.MethodsWe conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in chronic kidney disease clinics in Northern Tasmania and enrolled 132 patients with serum creatinine levels >120 μmol/l, not taking lipid-lowering therapy and at all levels of proteinuria and serum cholesterol. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg of atorvastatin/day (64) or placebo (68) and were followed with trial visits 3-monthly for a mean of 2.5 yrs. The primary outcome was the rate of both MDRD eGFR and Cockcroft–Gault creatinine clearance (C–G CrCl) decline. Analysis was based on intention to treat and included all patients that had at least one follow-up visit.ResultsThe rate of MDRD eGFR decline was 29% lower; 1.04 ± 3.84 vs. 1.47 ± 3.74 ml/min/1.73 m2/yr (P = 0.53), and the C–G CrCl was 20% lower; 1.88 ± 5.07 vs. 2.36 ± 4.61 ml/min/1.73 m2/yr (P = 0.58) in atorvastatin-treated, compared with placebo-treated patients. Although blood pressure decreased in both atorvastatin and placebo-treated groups there were no differences between groups. In addition, there was no difference in concomitant medication intake including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers between groups.ConclusionsThere was a trend toward a slower eGFR decline in the atorvastatin-treated group that did not reach statistical significance. This may have been due to the lack of power of the study. However, atorvastatin may have a renoprotective effect in those patients with chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. This needs to be assessed in further studies.