The Effect of Statins in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Exclusion Criteria

• •Known hypersensitivity to or side effects relating to previous statin treatment, or current therapy which includes a statin, ezetimibe or fibrate
• •Clinically significant liver function abnormality; alcohol excess
• •Hypercholesterolaemia \> or equal to 6.5mmol/L
• •Females who are pregnant, breast feeding, or at risk of pregnancy and not using a medically acceptable form of contraception.
• •Any condition judged by investigator that would cause the study to be detrimental to patient.
• •Conditions: rheumatoid disease/other collagen vascular disease requiring therapy; diabetes mellitus; untreated hypothyroidism; inflammatory bowel disease; other respiratory disease; known alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency; malignancy; documented history of ischaemic heart disease (IHD); cor pulmonale or known congestive heart failure; patients planning to undergo elective surgery during the study period.
• •Exacerbation in the last 4 weeks.
• •Significant hypoxia (PaO2 \<7.3kPa)
• •Known lactose intolerance.
• •Therapies: oral prednisolone for more than 1 week in the last 6 months; disease modifying drugs (Gold/ sulphasalazine etc); weight losing drugs; concomitant use of warfarin, cyclosporine; concomitant administration of potent CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g. itraconazole, ketoconazole, HIV protease inhibitors, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin and nefazodone). Use of any investigational drug within four weeks of the baseline visit.