Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 12, 2025
Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Propensity Score using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
Association Between Chronic Statin Use and 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19
Zachary A Yetmar1, Douglas W Challener1, Imad M Tleyjeh1,2,3,4
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Insights
Chronic statin use in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients was not associated with a statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality. These findings suggest statins are unlikely to be a therapeutic intervention for COVID-19 in hospital settings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Statins are widely prescribed for cardiovascular disease prevention.
- The impact of chronic statin use on outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unclear.
- Understanding this association is crucial for managing COVID-19 patients on long-term statin therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between chronic statin use and 30-day mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
- To determine if statin therapy influences survival rates in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 1295 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Data collected from March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020, at Mayo Clinic.
- Logistic regression modeling used to estimate the association of statins with 30-day mortality, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Of 1295 patients, 500 (38.6%) were on chronic statin therapy.
- Statin users were older and had more comorbidities, including diabetes and congestive heart failure.
- Multivariable analysis showed no statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality between statin users and non-users (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.64-2.03; P=.67).
Conclusions:
- Chronic statin use was not associated with altered 30-day mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- While higher comorbidity burden in statin users may influence results, data do not support statins as a therapeutic intervention for COVID-19.
- Further research may be needed to fully elucidate the role of statins in COVID-19 management.
Objective:
To determine the association between chronic statin use and mortality in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Patients And Methods:
We identified a retrospective cohort of patients requiring admission at the Mayo Clinic using our enterprise-wide COVID-19 registry from March 1, 2020, through September 30, 2020. Available information included age, sex, use of statins, medical comorbidities, and 30-day mortality. We estimated the association of statins with 30-day mortality using odds ratios and 95% CIs from logistic regression modeling.
Results:
Patients (N=1295) between the ages of 30 and 80 years tested positive for COVID-19 and required admission during the study period, of whom 500 (38.6%) were taking statins at admission. Patients taking statins were older and more likely to have diabetes mellitus or congestive heart failure. Within 30 days of diagnosis, 59 (4.6%) died. In multivariable analysis, statin users did not have statistically different odds of death within 30 days with an odds ratio of 1.14 (95% CI, 0.64 to 2.03; P=.67) compared to nonusers.
Conclusion:
Patients with COVID-19 taking statins had similar 30-day mortality to those not taking statins after adjusting for relevant covariates. Although this is partly influenced by a higher prevalence of risk factors for more severe COVID-19 presentation not entirely adjusted for by the Charlson comorbidity index, these data would not support statins as a likely therapeutic intervention for COVID-19 in the hospital setting.
More Related Videos
09:15Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles
Published on: November 10, 2017
05:41Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery Ligation for Ischemia-Reperfusion Research: Model Improvement via Technical Modifications and Quality Control
Published on: December 16, 2022
Related Concept Videos
01:20Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:28Acute Coronary Syndrome IV: Interprofessional Care
01:26Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
01:27Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
01:26Atherosclerosis III: Management