A Phase II, Open-labeled, Ophthalmological External Investigator-blinded, Single-center, Randomized, Superiority, Non Profit, Pilot Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effects of Atorvastatin on Graves' Orbitopathy (GO) in Hypercholesterolemic Patients With Moderate-to-severe and Active GO Subjected to Intravenous Glucocorticoid Therapy: the STAGO Study

Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is the most common extra-thyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease (GD), being observed in ~25% of patients. Besides genetic and demographical variables, risk factors associated with the development of GO in GD patients are known to be inadequate control of hyperthyroidism, radioiodine treatment, and smoking. In a large retrospective study conducted in more than 8,000 individuals with GD it was observed that treatment with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme reductase inhibitors, better known as statins, is associated with a ~40% reduced risk of developing GO in GD patients. The findings were interpreted as the consequence of the anti-inflammatory action of statins, being GO notoriously an autoimmune, inflammatory conditions.

Statins are widely used for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, for which they are quite effective. The possibility that their "protective" effect in terms of GO development in GD patients, as observed by Stein et al., was simply due to their hypolipemic actions was not considered. To evaluate the possibility that the findings reflected lowering of cholesterol rather than a direct anti-inflammatory effect of statins a prospective, observational study to assess the association between GO and high cholesterol levels and/or the relationship between the degree and/or activity of GO and hypercholesterolemia is ongoing. Preliminary findings suggest that GO is more severe and active in patients with high cholesterol levels. On the basis of these observations, the present randomized clinical trial was designed to be performed in hypercholesterolemic patients with GD and moderate-to-severe and active GO, aimed at investigating if lowering of cholesterol levels with statins is associated with a better outcome of GO.