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Protective effects of statins on COVID-19 risk, severity and fatal outcome: a nationwide Swedish cohort study

Ailiana Santosa1, Stefan Franzén2,3, Jonatan Nåtman3

  • 1School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. ailiana.santosa@gu.se.

Scientific Reports
|July 14, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Statin use in individuals aged 40 and over was associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death. This protective effect was observed across the general population and specific COVID-19 patient cohorts.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The relationship between statin use and COVID-19 outcomes is not fully understood.
  • Statins are widely prescribed lipid-lowering medications with potential anti-inflammatory properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between statin exposure and the risk and severity of COVID-19.
  • To analyze these effects in the general population and in defined COVID-19 patient cohorts.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized nationwide Swedish population-based register data, including the National Prescribed Drug Register and COVID-19 outcome registers.
  • A cohort of individuals aged ≥40 years was selected, with statin exposure defined as prescriptions in the year prior to the index date.
  • Cox regression with propensity score Average Treatment effect in the Treated (ATT) weighting was employed to control for confounding.

Main Results:

  • Among 572,695 individuals, 22.3% were prior statin users.
  • Statin users showed a reduced risk of hospitalization and COVID-19 death in the overall and onset cohorts after ATT weighting.
  • In the hospitalized cohort, statin use was linked to lower mortality (HR=0.86) but not ICU admission.

Conclusions:

  • Statin-treated individuals demonstrated lower COVID-19 mortality compared to non-users.
  • Findings suggest a potential protective role of statins against severe COVID-19 outcomes, including death.

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