Effect of rosuvastatin on inflammatory factors and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Carotid atherosclerosis is closely related with ischemic stroke occurrence, development and recurrence. This study aims to make an evaluation of the effects of rosuvastatin on inflammatory factors, serum lipid and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with acute ischemic stroke. In this study, 98 patients with acute ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis were given oral administration of rosuvastatin calcium (10 mg once every night), and the course of treatment was 6 months. After treatment, the changes of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and blood lipid were measured, as well as carotid atherosclerotic intima-media thickness (IMT) and the calculation of carotid atherosclerotic plaque score. According to the examination results, after 6 months'
treatment with rosuvastatin, serum hs-CRP, TNF-α, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholestrol (LDL-C) decreased significantly (P < 0.01, for all), while high-density lipoprotein cholestrol (HDL-C) increased significantly (P < 0.01); the total number of plaque reduced, while the number of stable plaque increased (P < 0.05); carotid artery IMT and carotid artery plaque score decreased significantly (P < 0.05). There were significant differences between before and after treatment. The results of this study show that rosuvastatin plays a role in anti-inflammation and alleviates the degree of carotid atherosclerotic plaque.