Hematologic parameters such as mean platelet volume (MPV), red cell distribution width (RDW), and neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on hematologic parameters in patients with hypercholesterolemia. A total of 79 patients with hypercholesterolemia and 47 normocholesterolemic healthy participants were included. Patients with hypercholesterolemia received 10 to 80 mg/d atorvastatin during a 24-week period. Hematologic parameters were measured at baseline and after 6 months. Atorvastatin treatment produced a significant decrease in MPV levels (9.3 ± 1.3 vs 9.1 ± 1.2 fL, P = .008) and platelet count (259 ± 61 vs 248 ± 51 10(9)/L, P = .005). The N/L ratio decreased significantly after atorvastatin treatment from 2.9 ± 1.2 to 2.6 ± 1.1, (P = .014). The RDW and platelet distribution width levels were not different among the study groups, before and after treatment. Atorvastatin may beneficially reduce MPV levels and N/L ratio. This antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory effect of atorvastatin treatment could play a role in reducing cardiovascular risk.

ABSTRACT. Considering the functions of aggrecanase-1 (ADAMTS4) and -2 (ADAMTS5), which are thought to be the two major enzymes responsible for the destruction of aggrecans in arthritic diseases, we investigated whether important polymorphisms in the ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 genes affect osteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility. Our study took place in Mugla, Turkey. Ninety-five cases were recruited following OA diagnosis (72 women and 23 men), and 80 individuals without any symptoms or radiographic signs of OA (56 women and 24 men) were chosen as healthy controls. After obtaining DNA from patients and control subjects, ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 genotypes were determined using the ABI Prism StepOnePlus Real-Time system. In addition, we categorized patients based on OA grade. There were no significant differences in the genotype distributions of the four polymorphisms between the groups (P > 0.05). Moreover, ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 allele frequencies did not differ between OA and control participants (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the ADAMTS4 (rs4233367 and rs11807350) and ADAMTS5 (rs226794 and rs2830585) variants examined may not contribute to susceptibility to knee OA in the Turkish population. Other gene polymorphisms should be assessed in order to explain variations in OA susceptibility.

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