Does Statin Therapy Have a Beneficial Effect on Knee Osteoarthritis?

Knee osteoarthritis (KO) is a major public health issue, that significantly affects patients' quality of life. Metabolic comorbidities, particularly dyslipidemia, have been shown to influence the incidence and progression of KO. Given the potential impact of hypercholesterolemia on disease progression, the hypothesis arises that dyslipidemia treatments, such as statins, may offer a beneficial effect in mitigating KO progression.  Objective: This study evaluates the effect of statin therapy on the clinical improvement of knee osteoarthritis (KO), particularly in terms of pain reduction, measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

A cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted at the rheumatology department of the University Hospital Center Hassan II of Fez, between January 2018 and January 2024. Patients diagnosed with symptomatic primary knee osteoarthritis (KO) were recruited from the department's database of rheumatology consultations, and all were regularly followed up within the department. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1, which received statin therapy, and Group 0, a control group that did not receive statins. The primary outcome was clinical improvement, which was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to measure pain intensity.

A total of 465 patients were included, with 48 (10.3%) receiving statins. A significant clinical improvement in KO was observed in 34 (70.8%) patients in the statin group, compared to 196 (47.1%) patients in the control group (p=0.001). The analysis indicated that statin use was significantly associated with clinical improvement, independent of other demographic and comorbid factors.

Statin use may provide benefits in the management of KO, particularly in reducing pain, in addition to conventional symptomatic treatments. These results highlight the need for further prospective research to clarify the mechanisms of action of statins in this condition.