Abstract
PurposeObservations studies have shown that prior use of statins is associated with a reduced risk of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. However, the available data are limited, inconsistent and conflicting. Besides, no randomised controlled trial exists in this regard. Hence, the present meta-analysis was conducted to provide an updated summary and collate the effect of statin use on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 using unadjusted and adjusted risk estimates.MethodsPubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were systematically searched using appropriate keywords till December 18 2020, to identify observational studies reporting clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients using statins versus those not using statins. Prior and in-hospital use of statins were considered. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Unadjusted and adjusted pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs were calculated.ResultsWe included 14 observational studies pooling data retrieved from 19 988 patients with COVID-19. All the studies were of high/moderate quality. Pooled analysis of unadjusted data showed that statin use was not associated with improved clinical outcomes (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.69 to 1.50, p=0.94, I2=94%, random-effects model). However, on pooling adjusted risk estimates, the use of statin was found to significantly reduce the risk of adverse outcomes (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.63, p<0.0005, I2=0%, fixed-effects model).ConclusionsStatin use is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Individuals with multiple comorbidities on statin therapy should be encouraged to continue the drug amid the ongoing pandemic.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has scourged the world affecting over 90 million individuals and inflicting more than 2 million casualties in over 200 nations worldwide
We performed a sensitivity analysis after excluding the studies where clinical outcomes were not reported in terms of mortality; likewise, we found that statin use was not associated with improved patient mortality
In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis, we found that the use of statins was associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has scourged the world affecting over 90 million individuals and inflicting more than 2 million casualties in over 200 nations worldwide. Amid the present circumstances, repurposing existing drugs is a faster and far more economical option than contemplating the development of a whole new drug. Multiple existing drugs have been repurposed for use in patients with COVID-19 with variable results. One such drug is statins.[1]. The present meta-analysis was conducted to provide an updated summary and collate the effect of statin use on the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 using unadjusted as well as adjusted estimates
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