Modifying Effect of Statins on Fatal Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial: A Post Hoc Analysis

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Background: Management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients includes efforts directed toward modifying traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Such efforts include optimal management of hypertension together with the initiation of statin therapy. Methods: In this observational study, we determine the modifying effect of statins on the relationship of systolic blood pressure (SBP) goal with mortality and other outcomes in patients with CKD participating in a clinical trial. At baseline, 2,646 CKD patients (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²) were randomized to an intensive SBP goal < 120 mm Hg or standard SBP goal <140 mm Hg. One thousand two hundred and seventy-three were not on statin, 1,354 were on a statin, and in 19 the use of statin was unknown. The 2 primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Results: The relationships of SBP goal with all-cause mortality (interaction p = 0.009) and cardiovascular (CV) mortality (interaction p = 0.021) were modified by the use of statin after adjusting for age, gender, race, CVD history, smoking, aspirin use, and blood pressure at baseline. In the statin group, targeting SBP to < 120 mm Hg compared to SBP < 140 mm Hg significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.44 [0.28–0.71]; event rates 1.16 vs. 2.5 per 100 patient-years) and CV mortality (aHR 0.29 [0.12–0.74]; event rates 0.28 vs. 0.92 per 100 patient-years) after a median follow-up of 3.26 years. In the non-statin group, the risk of all-cause mortality (aHR 1.07 [0.69–1.66]; event rates 2.01 vs. 1.94 per 100 patient-years) and CV mortality (aHR 1.42 [0.56–3.59]; event rates 0.52 vs. 0.41 per 100 patient-years) were not significantly different in both SBP goal arms. Conclusion: The combination of statin therapy and intensive SBP management leads to improved survival in hypertensive patients with CKD.