Addition of Simvastatin to Standard Therapy for the Prevention of Variceal Rebleeding Does not Reduce Rebleeding but Increases Survival in Patients With Cirrhosis

The combination of β-blockers and band ligation is the standard approach to prevent variceal rebleeding, but bleeding recurs and mortality is high. The lipid-lowering drug simvastatin decreases portal pressure, improves hepatocellular function, and might reduce liver fibrosis. We assessed whether adding simvastatin to standard therapy could reduce rebleeding and death after variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis.