China: Atorvastatin (AT) combined with ezetimibe (EZ) is effective in improving lipids, glucose, and inflammation, and upregulating serum bilirubin in elderly patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The findings were published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine on August 25, 2023.

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Ezetimibe is a cholesterol-absorption inhibitor that inhibits the uptake of dietary and biliary cholesterol. Previous studies have shown that a combination of statins with ezetimibe significantly reduces LDL-C levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia, and results in superior lipid-lowering efficacy versus statin treatment alone.

Siyu Zhu and colleagues from China investigated the application of atorvastatin combined with ezetimibe in elderly patients with hypertension combined with type 2 diabetes. They also examined the significance analysis of changes in serum bilirubin levels during treatment.
For this purpose, the researchers included one hundred and twelve elderly patients with hypertension combined with type 2 diabetes presented from 2019 to 2022. They were divided into a control group (AT; n=56) and a combined group (AT + EZ; n=56) according to the random number table method.
A comparison was made in both groups with regards to serum bilirubin [(total bilirubin, direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL))], inflammatory factors, lipid function, and blood glucose. The combined group was divided according to the mean total bilirubin value as high and low expression groups. The incidence of adverse reactions was compared between the two groups.
The study led to the following findings:
Glucose, lipid function, and inflammatory factors were lower in the combined group than in the control group.
Total bilirubin, DBIL, and IBIL were higher in the combined group than in the control group.
The total incidence of adverse reactions in the high-expression group was significantly lower than that in the low-expression group (12.50% versus 28.57%).
"Our findings showed that atorvastatin combined with ezetimibe can effectively improve inflammation, lipids, and glucose, and upregulate serum bilirubin in patients with hypertension combined with type 2 diabetes," the researchers conclude.
Reference:
Zhu S, Wang T, Wang Q, Du M. Application of Atorvastatin Combined with Ezetimibe in Elderly Patients with Hypertension Combined with T2DM and Analysis of Significance of Changes in Serum Bilirubin Levels During Treatment. Altern Ther Health Med. 2023 Aug 25:AT8271. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37632947.