Pharmacologic Doses of Lovastatin Do Not Predictably Affect the Course of Psoriasis
Peter J. Aronson · Archives of Dermatology · 1992
To the Editor.— A need has arisen for multiple cholesterol lowering agents because of problems with the side effects of drug therapy and because of the usefulness of combination therapy in lowering cholesterol levels.1The hypercholesterolemic drugs tripanol, 20,25-diazacholesterol, and gemfibrozil can induce hyperkeratosis, causing scaling disorders, and can, sometimes, cause psoriasis to flare.2Hairless male mice painted with the hypercholesterolemic drug lovastatin develop epidermal hyperplasia, erythema, scaling, and increased DNA synthesis, leading to the inference that this drug therapy might cause psoriasis to flare.3It is somewhat comforting that less than 5% of an oral dose of this drug enters the circulation systemically, but the lowest toxic dose is unknown.1,3,4The manufacturer (Merck Sharp & Dohme, Rahway, NJ), on the other hand, has anecdotal evidence that the condition of some psoriatic subjects improves when this drug is administered. To rule out the likelihood that use