Statin therapy impact on Long-Term outcomes in acute heart Failure: Retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients

Abstract

BackgroundStatin therapy is well-established for treating hyperlipidemia and ischemic heart disease (IHD), but its role in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) remains less clear. Despite varying clinical guidelines, the actual utilization and impact of statin therapy initiation in patients with ADHF with an independent indication for statin therapy have not been thoroughly explored. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective observational study on 5978 patients admitted with ADHF between January 1st, 2007, and December 31st, 2017. Patients were grouped based on their statin therapy status at admission and discharge. We performed multivariable analyses to identify independent predictors of short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term mortality. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted on patients with an independent indication for statin therapy but who were not on statins at admission. ResultsOf the total patient cohort, 73.9% had an indication for statin therapy. However, only 38.2% were treated with statins at admission, and 56.1% were discharged with a statin prescription. Patients discharged with statins were younger, predominantly male, and had a higher prevalence of IHD and other comorbidities. Statin therapy at discharge was an independent negative predictor of 5-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.76–0.85). The sensitivity analysis confirmed these findings, demonstrating higher mortality rates in patients not initiated on statins during admission. ConclusionsThe study highlights significant underutilization of statin therapy among patients admitted with ADHF, even when there’s an independent indication for such treatment. Importantly, initiation of statin therapy during hospital admission was independently associated with improved long-term survival.