Association of Statins With Cardiovascular Outcomes Following Kidney Transplantation

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) exhibit elevated cardiovascular risk.
• The efficacy of statin therapy in preventing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in KTRs remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between statin use at kidney transplantation and MACE or all-cause mortality.
• To assess statin therapy's impact in KTRs with and without pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 518 adult KTRs (2015-2024).
• Patients categorized by statin use at transplantation (STN vs. NoSTN).
• Cox proportional-hazards models used to analyze the composite outcome of all-cause mortality and MACE, adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

• Statin use was not associated with a significant difference in MACE (13.8% vs. 15.5%) or all-cause mortality (10% in both groups).
• No significant difference in the composite outcome was observed between STN and NoSTN groups.
• Similar findings were noted in a subgroup analysis of patients without prior cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions:

• Statin therapy initiated at the time of kidney transplantation did not demonstrate a significant reduction in MACE or all-cause mortality.
• These findings suggest a need to re-evaluate the routine use of statins in KTRs.
• Further research is warranted to clarify the role of statins in cardiovascular risk management for KTRs.