Statins and risk of diverticular disease: Nested case-control study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Pharmacology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Statins possess anti-inflammatory properties that suggest a potential role in preventing diverticular disease.
• Previous research on the association between statin use and diverticular disease has yielded conflicting results, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between statin use and the subsequent risk of developing diverticular disease.

Main Methods:

• A nested case-control study was conducted in Denmark using national health survey data from 2010 and 2013.
• 8809 cases of hospital-diagnosed diverticular disease were identified and matched with population controls.
• Conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze the association between statin use and diverticular disease, adjusting for various confounding factors.

Main Results:

• Ever use of statins was associated with a slightly increased odds ratio (OR) for diverticular disease (1.19; 95% CI: 1.12-1.27).
• No clear dose-response relationship was observed for statin intensity or duration of use.
• When analyses were restricted to individuals with a prior colonoscopy, the association between statin use and diverticular disease was null (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.85-1.20).

Conclusions:

• The observed association between statin use and an increased risk of diverticular disease may be attributable to diagnostic bias.
• This study does not provide evidence to support a protective or harmful effect of statins on the risk of diverticular disease.