The impact of statin therapy in the COVID-19 patients with very high cardiovascular risk

Abstract

Antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory impacts of statins have been studied in viral pneumonia. However, the clinical benefits of statins have not been fully explored in high-risk patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, the present study assessed the effect of statin use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with very high cardiovascular risk. Consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted from June 1 to December 31, 2020, were analysed retrospectively. Propensity score-matched analysis was used for creating a 1:1 matched cohort. COVID-19 patients with and without statin use were compared for demographic data, comorbidities, treatments, laboratory findings and in-hospital outcomes. 707 patients (56±9.3 years old; 37% female) were included. Among those, 24.6% (n=174) received statin therapy. A propensity-matched group of 342 patients (171 receiving statins and 171 not receiving statins) was demarcated. The present study demonstrated that statin use significantly reduced in-hospital mortality within 30 days (primary end-point) in univariate (OR=0.314, 95% CI: 0.195 to 0.507) and multivariable-adjusted analysis (OR=0.348, 95% CI: 0.187 to 0.648). Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with very high cardiovascular risk, statin use was found to be significantly associated with reduced in-hospital 30-days mortality.