Statin Use in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients and Outcomes: A Retrospective Study
Hamideh Kouhpeikar1, Hamidreza Khosaravizade Tabasi2, Zahra Khazir2
1Department of Hematology and Blood Bank, Tabas School of Nursing, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Insights
Statins may improve survival for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, especially when considering composite outcomes like intubation or ICU admission. Further research into statin therapy as an adjunct COVID-19 treatment is warranted.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses risks, particularly for individuals with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Despite ongoing global vaccination efforts, the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants necessitates continued exploration of effective therapeutic strategies.
- Statins, primarily known for lipid-lowering, possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties relevant to viral infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of statin therapy on the survival rates of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
- To evaluate the potential benefits of statins as an adjunctive treatment for COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study involving 583 patients admitted to a hospital in Tabas, Iran, between February 2020 and December 2020.
- Comparison of outcomes between 162 patients treated with statins and 421 patients who did not receive statins.
- Extraction of demographic, clinical, laboratory, and comorbidity data from medical records to assess mortality and survival.
Main Results:
- Crude analysis indicated statins reduced COVID-19 patient mortality (HR = 0.56), though not statistically significant in the adjusted model (HR = 0.51).
- A composite outcome (intubation, ICU admission, mortality) showed significant protective effects with statin use in both crude (HR = 0.43) and adjusted (HR = 0.57) models.
- The adjusted model for the composite outcome demonstrated a significant protective effect of statin therapy (p = 0.048).
Conclusions:
- Statins demonstrate potential as an effective adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 patients.
- The anti-inflammatory properties of statins may contribute to improved outcomes in COVID-19 management.
- Further investigation into statin's role in managing severe COVID-19 is supported by these findings.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might affect everyone, but people with comorbidities such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may often have more severe complications and worse outcomes. Although vaccinations are being performed worldwide, it will take a long time until the entire population of the world is vaccinated. On the other hand, we are witnessing the emergence of new variants of this virus. Therefore, effective therapeutic approaches still need to be considered. Statins are well-known lipid-lowering drugs, but they have also anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of statins on the survival of COVID-19 hospitalized patients.
Methods:
This retrospective study was performed on 583 patients admitted to a highly referenced hospital in Tabas, Iran, between February 2020 and December 2020. One hundred sixty-two patients were treated with statins and 421 patients were not. Demographic information, clinical signs, and the results of laboratory, and comorbidities were extracted from patients' medical records and mortality and survival rates were assessed in these two groups.
Results:
The results of the Cox crude regression model showed that statins reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.97; p = 0.040), although this reduction was not significant in the adjusted model (HRs=0.51, 95%CI: 0.22, 1.17; p = 0.114). Using a composite outcome comprising intubation, ICU admission, and mortality, both crude (HR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.73; p = 0.002) and adjusted (HR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.99; p = 0.048) models suggested a significant protective effect of statin therapy.
Conclusion:
Due to anti-inflammatory properties of statins, these drugs can be effective as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
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