Efficacy and Safety of Oral Simvastatin in the Treatment of Patients with Vitiligo

Abstract

Vitiligo, an autoimmune disease, is a depigmentation skin disorder characterized by hypopigmentation spots and patches that are difficult to treat. The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical efficacy of simvastatin in the treatment of vitiligo. From December 2016 to October 2019, five vitiligo patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital were treated with simvastatin and tacrolimus. For simvastatin, the first three patients (patient 1, patient 2, and patient 3) began to take 40 mg/day, and the latter two patients began to take 20 mg/day. From week 5, patients 1 and 2 received 20 mg simvastatin once a day. And the 0.1% tacrolimus ointment was used topically. The response was measured using the Vitiligo European Task Force (VETF) scoring system at baseline and at the fourth and eighth weeks of treatment. The results of the VETF score showed that three of the patients achieved significant clinical efficacy. There was no significant improvement in the other two cases. No serious acute or chronic side effects were observed. In conclusion, our results suggest that conventional oral simvastatin is safe, although it may not be effective in the treatment of vitiligo.