Impact of Statin Therapy on Clinical Outcomes of Patients Hospitalised with Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Background: Statins have anti-inflammatory properties beyond their lipid-lowering effects, but their impact on skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) remains unclear. This study evaluated whether statins improve clinical outcomes in patients hospitalised with SSTIs. Methods: Adults aged ≥18 years hospitalised with SSTIs at a tertiary hospital in Australia between 1 June 2021 and 31 December 2021 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) codes. Patients were categorised into two groups based on statin use at admission. Multivariable regression models assessed differences in clinical outcomes including length of hospital stay (LOS), septic shock, Medical Emergency Response Team (MET) calls, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mortality and 30-day readmissions, adjusting for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index and C-reactive protein levels. Results: Of 387 admissions, complete data were available for 381 patients. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 58.5 years (21.9 years), and 55.9% were male. Statins were used by 110 patients (28.9%) at admission. Statin users were older, had more comorbidities, and were more likely to have positive culture results than statin non-users (p < 0.05). Median (interquartile range [IQR]) LOS was significantly longer for statin users compared to non-users (4 [2, 7] versus 3 [2, 5] days, p < 0.05). However, after adjusted analysis, LOS was not significantly different between the two groups (adjusted incidence risk ratio [aIRR] 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.20, p = 0.134). Other clinical outcomes were also similar between the two groups. Conclusions: This study found that statin use at admission was not associated with statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes among patients hospitalised with SSTIs.