The impact of statins on pulmonary embolism severity-a retrospective data analysis

Recent studies have demonstrated decreased rates of venous thrombotic events, including pulmonary embolism (PE), in patients taking statins. It, however, remains elusive whether statins could also impact PE severity.

To investigate a potential association between statin use and the severity of PE in a retrospective cohort.

We performed a retrospective data analysis of patients with PE confirmed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019, at the University Hospital Graz, Austria. PE severity was assessed based on the 2019 European Society of Cardiology guidelines.

Of 1590 patients analyzed, 235 (14.7%) were statin users. Statin users were significantly older than nonusers (median, 74 years [IQR, 66-80] vs 67 years [IQR, 52-78]; P < .001) and had a higher body mass index (BMI kg/m²; median, 27.4 [IQR, 24.7-30.7] vs 26.2 [IQR, 23.6-29.7]; P = .001). Statin users had a significantly higher prevalence of comorbidities, including kidney insufficiency, arterial hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (all P < .001), and heart failure (P = .006), while the nonstatin group had a higher prevalence of cancer (29.6% vs 14.0%; P = .04). Our study revealed a significantly smaller proportion of low-risk PE in statin users compared with nonstatin users (12.3% vs 19.9%; P = .006). After matching the groups based on sex (male and female), age, and BMI (kg/m²), no significant differences in PE severity were found.

Statin use was not associated with PE severity. The smaller proportion of low-risk PE in statin users is likely attributable to their older age, higher BMI, and comorbidities.