Experimental use of pravastatin in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis associated with hypercholesterolemia

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a refractory liver disease for which no medical treatment has been established. The investigators administered 20 mg/day of pravastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, to 2 PBC patients with hypercholesterolemia (1010 and 306 mg/dl) for 3 years and 10 months in order to decrease the blood concentration of bile acids and prevent adverse effects on the hepatocellular membrane. The drug markedly decreased not only cholesterol levels but also total bile acid levels, producing particularly pronounced decreases in cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. Histologically, progression was inhibited in one patient, whereas improvement was seen in the other. Bile duct enzymes and other biochemical parameters showed improvement in both cases. General pruritus and blepharal and palmar xanthoma also improved. These findings suggest that pravastatin may be useful in the treatment of PBC associated with hypercholesterolemia.