Statin Therapy In Patients Research Articles

Comparison of Evolocumab and Ezetimibe, Both Combined with Statin Therapy, for Patients with Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis from the Chinese Healthcare Perspective.

To assess the cost-effectiveness of evolocumab, a PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) inhibitor, compared with ezetimibe, both added to background statin therapy in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events (in the past 12 months) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels ≥ 100 mg/dL in China. A health economic evaluation was performed from a Chinese healthcare perspective, using a Markov model over a lifetime horizon based on a baseline cardiovascular (CV) event rate from claims database data and efficacy from the FOURIER trial. The health benefit was reflected in the decrease of LDL-C level, which led to a decrease of cardiovascular events. The costs of cardiovascular events and the utility value of each health state were derived from the published literature. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of uncertainty in parameters and the robustness of the model. The cost-effectiveness of evolocumab was also explored in patients with recent myocardial infarction (MI), at very high risk (VHR) of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and homozygous familiar hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). In patients with recent ACS, evolocumab was associated with incremental quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of 1.33 and incremental costs of 115,782 yuan versus ezetimibe, both with background statin therapy, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 87,050 yuan per QALY gained. The probability of evolocumab + statins being cost-effective at a threshold of 217,341 yuan (three times per capita GDP, 2020), compared with ezetimibe + statins, was 100% in patients with recent ACS, recent MI, VHR ASCVD, and HoFH. Compared with ezetimibe + statins, the combination of evolocumab + statins was found to be cost-effective at a threshold of 217,341 yuan (three times per capita GDP, 2020) in patients with recent ACS events in China.

No association between APOE genotype and lipid lowering with cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial of evolocumab.

APOE encodes a cholesterol transporter, and the ε4 allele is associated with higher circulating cholesterol levels, ß-amyloid burden, and risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Prior studies demonstrated no significant differences in objective or subjective cognitive function for patients receiving the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab vs. placebo added to statin therapy. There is some evidence that cholesterol-lowering medications may confer greater cognitive benefits in APOE ε4 carriers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether APOE genotype moderates the relationships between evolocumab use and cognitive function. APOE-genotyped patients (N = 13,481; 28% ε4 carriers) from FOURIER, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of evolocumab added to statin therapy in patients with stable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease followed for a median of 2.2 years, completed the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) to self-report cognitive changes from the end of the trial compared to its beginning; a subset (N = 835) underwent objective cognitive testing using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery as part of the EBBINGHAUS trial. There was a dose-dependent relationship between APOE ε4 genotype and patient-reported memory decline on the ECog in the placebo arm (p = .003 for trend across genotypes; ε4/ε4 carriers vs. non-carriers: OR = 1.46, 95% CI [1.03, 2.08]) but not in the evolocumab arm (p = .50, OR = 1.18, 95% CI [.83,1.66]). However, the genotype by treatment interaction was not significant (p = .30). In the subset of participants who underwent objective cognitive testing with the CANTAB, APOE genotype did not significantly modify the relationship between treatment arm and CANTAB performance after adjustment for demographic and medical covariates, (p’s>.05). Although analyses were limited by the low population frequency of the ε4/ε4 genotype, this supports the cognitive safety of evolocumab among ε4 carriers, guiding future research on possible benefits of cholesterol-lowering medications in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Challenges of Statin Therapy in Clinical Practice (According to Outpatient Register «PROFILE» Data)

Aim. To identify the main problems of statin therapy in patients with high and very high cardiovascular (CV) risk in real clinical practice.Material and methods. The general information of the study was based on data from 2,457 patients who were included in the register before November 30, 2020: 1,250 men (50.9%) and 1,207 (49.1%) women. A more detailed analysis was performed for groups of patients with high and very high CV risk who had indications for statin treatment at the time of inclusion in the register: out of 2457 patients, 1166 people had very high CV risk, 395 was at high CV risk (a total of 1561 people, the average age of patients was 64.4±11.0 years).Results. Information on the parameters of the lipidogram – the level of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was available in 1918 (78.1%) and 1546 (62.9%) patients, respectively. Of 1561 patients with high and very high CV risk, TC and LDL-C levels were analyzed in 1221 (78.2%) and 956 (61.2%) cases, statistically significantly more often in patients with high CV risk (p<0.05). Statins were recommended only to 823 (52.7%) patients with high and very high CV risk. Patients with very high CV risk received such appointments 4 times more often than patients with high CV risk: odds ratio (OR) 4.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2-5.3 (p<0.001). Doctors preferred atorvastatin in prescriptions (n=456, 55.4%), rosuvastatin (n=244, 29.7%) and simvastatin (n=121, 14.7%) were in second and third places. The target level of LDLC was 2 times more often achieved in patients with high CVR, compared with patients with very high CV risk: OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.4-3.0 (p<0.001).Conclusion. The main problems of statin treatment in real clinical practice remain the non-assignment of these drugs to patients who have indications for such therapy and the failure to achieve the target levels of lipidogram indicators, which may probably be due to the clinical inertia of doctors regarding titration of statin doses, and in some cases caused by the choice of drugs that are not the most effective in reducing LDL cholesterol. Patients with very high CV risk are 4 times more likely to receive a recommendation to take statins compared to patients with high CV risk, but the target level of LDL cholesterol is reached in them 2 times less often.

Echolucent Carotid Plaques Becomes More Echogenic over Time – A 3D Ultrasound Study

Despite the presence of only a few established risk factors, some patients will experience atherosclerotic events. Therefore, methods for improved risk stratification for atherosclerotic events are wanted. We aimed to detect changes in carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque volume and echogenicity over time in patients with an acute thromboembolic event and in patients with chronic atherosclerotic disease, both treated with statin, using a novel 3D ultrasound system. We included two cohorts of patients; 70 patients, naïve to statin treatment, admitted with acute, first-time myocardial infarction (aMI), and 69 patients who had been on statin treatment for a minimum of 6 months with chronic peripheral arterial disease (cPAD). 3D ultrasound examination was performed at baseline and after 3 and 12 months. Plaque volume was quantified in 3D ultrasound plaque acquisitions, and echogenicity was assessed using grayscale median (GSM) and normalized with adventitia as reference. The aMI group had darker plaques than the cPAD group at baseline (mean GSM: 60.98, standard deviation (SD): 24.09 vs. 71.75, SD: 21.55; P=0.006), 3 months (63.64, SD: 20.47 vs. 73.44, SD: 20.46; P=0.006) and at 12 months follow-up (59.25, SD: 18.07 vs. 71.02, SD: 22.31; P=0.004). The differences were not significant after adjusting for traditional risk factors. Dividing both groups by the median GSM, the darkest half of the aMI group's had an increase in GSM mainly within the first 3 months (10.49, CI 95%: 2.45 to 18.53; P=0.012) and hereafter remained unchanged at 12 months follow-up (-0.53, CI 95%: -7.28 to 6.22, P=0.875). In the darkest cPAD group GSM also increased within 3 months (8.14, CI 95%: 1.85-14.32, P=0.012) and hereafter stabilized till 12 months (-2.54, CI 95%: -9.62 to 4.53, P=0.475). Plaque volume did not change in the aMI group from baseline (median: 55.41mm3, interquartile range (IQR): 24.24-84.31) to 12 months (58.67mm3, IQR: 31.81-93.51) (P=0.220) whereas there was a small decrease in the cPAD group from baseline (71.63mm3, IQR: 40.12-135.61) to 12 months (67.73mm3, IQR: 31.00-122.38) (P=0.026). Echolucent carotid plaque, assessed with the novel 3D matrix ultrasound system, had increasing GSM within 3 months period, indicating stabilization of the more vulnerable plaques in aMI and cPAD patients. Plaque volume decreased over 12 months follow-up in a long-term statin-treated patient with cPAD, but not during the first 12months statin therapy in patients with aMI.

Efficacy of high- versus moderate-dose statin therapy on lower extremity artery disease after revascularization

Aim: Statins are one of the most important agents in the treatment of atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease. We aim to compare high- and moderate-dose statin therapy in patients with lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) who have undergone percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Patients and Methods: Ninety-four patients treated with PTA were selected consecutively and retrospectively and were divided into two groups according to the high- or moderate-dose statin treatments they were given. Groups were compared for the absence of restenosis and occlusion as primary patency and the need for reintervention in the treated arterial segment as secondary patency. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) angiography or duplex scan one year after receiving PTA. Results: Coronary revascularization (p<0.001) and prior statin usage (p:0.02) were more common in the high-dose statin group when compared to the moderate-dose statin group. Lesion characteristics did not differ between the two groups. Primary patency rate was significantly higher (36.1% vs. 27.6%, p 0.01) in the high-dose statin group. Major amputation (4.2% vs. 10.6%, p:0.03) and minor amputation (12.7% vs. 19.1%, p:0.03) rates were significantly lower in the high-dose statin group. Regression analysis revealed that the usage of high-dose statin therapy was an independent predictor of higher primary patency in patients who were treated with prior PTA(Odds ratio:2.208, p<0.001) Conclusion: High-dose long-term statin treatment might have better outcomes on primary patency in patients who underwent prior PTA for infrapopliteal lesions as a subgroup of peripheral artery disease. The administration of the high-dose long-term statin therapy might be important in the prognosis of peripheral arterial disease, especially for those with infrapopliteal lesions.

Physician Practice Pattern Variations in Common Clinical Scenarios Within 5 US Metropolitan Areas

While variations in quality of care have been described between US regions, physician-level practice pattern variations within regions remain poorly understood, notably among specialists. To examine within-area physician-level variations in decision-making in common clinical scenarios where guidelines specifying appropriateness or quality of care exist. This cross-sectional study used 2016 through 2019 data from a large nationwide network of commercial insurers, provided by Health Intelligence Company, LLC, within 5 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Physician-level variations in appropriateness and quality of care were measured using 14 common clinical scenarios involving 7 specialties. The measures were constructed using public quality measure definitions, clinical guidelines, and appropriateness criteria from the clinical literature. Physician performance was calculated using a multilevel model adjusted for patient age, sex, risk score, and socioeconomic status with physician random effects. Measure reliability for each physician was calculated using the signal-to-noise approach. Within-MSA variation was calculated between physician quintiles adjusted for patient attributes, with the first quintile denoting highest quality or appropriateness and the fifth quintile reflecting the opposite. Data were analyzed March through October 2021. Fourteen measures of quality or appropriateness of care, with 2 measures each in the domains of cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, obstetrics, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. A total of 8788 physicians were included across the 5 MSAs, and about 2.5 million unique patient-physician pairs were included in the measures. Within the 5 MSAs, on average, patients in the measures were 34.7 to 40.7 years old, 49.1% to 52.3% female, had a mean risk score of 0.8 to 1.0, and more likely to have an employer-sponsored insurance plan that was either self-insured or fully insured (59.8% to 97.6%). Within MSAs, physician-level variations were qualitatively similar across measures. For example, statin therapy in patients with coronary artery disease ranged from 54.3% to 70.9% in the first quintile of cardiologists to 30.5% to 42.6% in the fifth quintile. Upper endoscopy in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease without alarm symptoms spanned 14.6% to 16.9% in the first quintile of gastroenterologists to 28.2% to 33.8% in the fifth quintile. Among patients with new knee or hip osteoarthritis, 2.1% to 3.4% received arthroscopy in the first quintile of orthopedic surgeons, whereas 25.5% to 30.7% did in the fifth quintile. Appropriate prenatal screening among pregnant patients ranged from 82.6% to 93.6% in the first quintile of obstetricians to 30.9% to 65.7% in the fifth quintile. Within MSAs, adjusted differences between quintiles approximated unadjusted differences. Measure reliability, which can reflect consistency and reproducibility, exceeded 70.0% across nearly all measures in all MSAs. In this cross-sectional study of 5 US metropolitan areas, sizeable physician-level practice variations were found across common clinical scenarios and specialties. Understanding the sources of these variations may inform efforts to improve the value of care.

STUDY OF OUTCOME OF STATIN THERAPY IN PATIENTS BY CHECKING LIPID PROFILE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF STARTING TREATMENT IN STATIN NAIVE PATIENTS

Background: To describe the outcome of statin therapy in patients by checking lipid profile after 3 months of starting treatment in statin naive patients
 Methods: Study was conducted on Patients with indications for statins presenting to cardiology OPD, Medicine OPD and Endocrinology OPD and started on statins at PGIMER, Chandigarh, within a period of 9 months.
 Results: The mean decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL and LDL levels in primary prevention group mean decrease in after 3 months of statin treatment in comparison to baseline were 17.24%,21.24%, 22.83 % and 33.19% respectively and increase in mean HDL level was 9.55%. The mean decrease in total cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL and LDL levels in secondary prevention group after 3 months of statin treatment in comparison to baseline were 14.35% 15.80%, 16.17% and 36.92% respectively and increase in mean HDL level was 8.77%.
 Concluded: So there was statistically significant change in lipid profile from baseline in both primary and secondary prevention groups after 3 months of statin treatment.
 Keywords: Statin, LDL,VLDL, HDL

Should a Statin be Given to All Hypertensive Patients?

To review the milestone trials and recent literature supporting statin therapy for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and to provide rationale for more generalized use of statin therapy among patients treated for hypertension. Hypertension is a leading modifiable risk factor for ASCVD worldwide. Randomized controlled trial evidence supports initiation of antihypertensive medication for stage 2 hypertension regardless of ASCVD risk. The HOPE-3 trial tested statin therapy in intermediate-risk individuals (defined as an annual risk of major cardiovascular events of approximately 1%) for primary prevention of ASCVD and reported significant reductions in cardiovascular events in all statin treatment arms, with the greatest benefit observed in patients in the highest tertile of systolic blood pressure. Based on the current data, patients with stage 2 hypertension with an indication for antihypertensive therapy may benefit from the addition of statin therapy in the primary prevention setting. Patients with hypertension have an elevated risk for ASCVD that appears to be modifiable beyond implementation of antihypertensive therapy. The addition of statin therapy in patients treated with antihypertensive therapy may further help to lower risk of future cardiovascular events.

Comparative effectiveness of statin therapy in patients with hypertension of high and very high cardiovascular risk in actual clinical practice in Irkutsk

Aim. To study lipid-lowering therapy in patients with high and very high risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) at the outpatient and inpatient care stages in Irkutsk.Material and methods. We analyzed 260 discharge summaries of patients with hypertension of high and very high risk of CVEs for the second half of 2019: 145 — from a hospital; 115 — from outpatient records. Patient adherence to statin therapy, achievement of target lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in each patient subgroup was assessed.Results. The proportion of patients who reached the recommended LDL-C levels in accordance with the 2017 guidelines tends to increase in comparison with prior data. High adherence to lipid-lowering therapy was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of patients reaching the recommended LDL-C levels. In most cases, regardless of cardiovascular risk, low-dose statin therapy were used. A detailed analysis of adherence to statin therapy using questionnaires revealed that more than half of patients in high-risk categories (64%) did not comply with lipid-lowering therapy.Conclusion. Favorable trends were revealed in relation to an increase in the proportion of high-risk patients reaching target LDL-C levels. Adherence to statin therapy remains low. Previously established problems in managing such patients remains: stereotyped lipid-lowering therapy prescriptions without taking into account cardiovascular risk, the use of low-dose therapy, and the frequent prescription of statins with a lower lipid-lowering effect. Inpatients use higher statin doses than outpatients.

Abstract 11627: Effectiveness of Statin Therapy in an Urban Metropolitan Patient Population

Introduction: Severely elevated serum LDL (>190 mg/dL) is an independent risk factor in the development of ASCVD complications. Despite current guidelines recommending the immediate initiation of high dose statin therapy in high-risk patients, limitations in care continue to exist, especially amongst different genders, races and populations with a higher burden of health disparities. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis of whether or not race and gender affected the timeliness and appropriateness of initiating statin therapy in a patient population that has a higher burden of health disparities. Methods: We performed a single centered, retrospective observational study where 499 patients with an initial LDL level greater than 190 mg/dL were identified. These patients were then stratified according to race and gender and evaluated for intensity and timing of statin therapy for 12 months after their initial lipid profile. Institutional survey data was acquired to quantify health disparities of our patient population in comparison to US census and Chicago Public Health data. Results: All 499 patients were included in the study. The mean LDL was 224.72 mg/dL and the SEM was 1.775 mg/dL. When compared to state and national averages, respectively, patients from our geographic region were found to have a higher percentage of unemployment (11% vs 7% vs 7%), uninsured status (13% vs 9% vs 10%) and inadequate access to transportation (25% vs 11% vs 9%). There was no significant difference between race or gender regarding the timing of statin initiation or degree of statin intensity. Of all patients, 38.2% were not started on any statin while 29.8% were immediately started on statin therapy (p=0.04). Of those patients started on statin therapy, only 11.4% were started on a high intensity statin (p=0.039). Conclusions: In conclusion, we found that, regarding race or gender, there was no significant difference in initiation of statin or strength of statin started. However, the overall percentage of patients that were started on a timely and appropriate dosage was significantly lower, especially in comparison to national averages. This may be due to the high degree of health disparities that are prevalent amongst our patient population.

Abstract 10980: Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Continuous Statin Therapy in Patients with Deferral of Coronary Intervention Based on Fractional Flow Reserve

Background: The optimal medication therapy for patients with angiographically intermediate coronary artery stenosis in whom revascularization was deferred by fractional flow reserve (FFR) remains to be fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of continuous statin therapy in those patients. Methods: This sub-analysis of the J-CONFIRM registry (Long-Term Outcomes of Japanese Patients With Deferral of Coronary Intervention Based on Fractional Flow Reserve in Multicenter Registry) included 1113 patients who have completed 2-year follow-up and were divided into 2 groups according to continuation of statin treatment. Landmark analyses were performed that compared treatments during the follow-up period between 2 years and 5 years to assess the composite endpoints, including target vessel failure and non-cardiac death in the Cox proportional hazard regression with mixed effects account for institutional variety and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analyses. Target vessel failure was defined as cardiac death, target-vessel related myocardial infarction, and clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Results: By the start of the landmark at 2-year, 681 (61.2%) patients had continued the statin, whereas 432 (38.8%) had not continued. Composite endpoint was observed in 68 (10.0%) patients with continuous statin and 54 (12.5%) in those with discontinuous statin. The multivariate mixed effects Cox regression model and IPTW adjusted for baseline characteristics, comorbidity, FFR value, culprit vessel, and medication revealed that the continuous statin was not associated with a low risk of composite endpoint (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.54 to 1.21, HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.05, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed significant interaction between sex, prior myocardial infarction (pMI) and the continuous statin, indicating that the continuous statin therapy was associated with a low risk of composite endpoint in male (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.93) and patients with pMI (HR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.22, 0.82). Conclusions: The present study showed that continuous statin therapy was not associated with better long-term outcomes in patients with deferral of coronary intervention based on FFR.

Abstract 9445: Gender Disparities in Statin Prescriptions Following Acute Coronary Syndrome

Introduction: Initiation of high intensity statin therapy for patients following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is well-established secondary prevention. Females with coronary artery disease have historically been associated with lower rates of goal directed medical therapy. Hypothesis: Disparities in statin prescriptions and targeted reductions in LDL levels exist between genders. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed across the University of Pennsylvania Health System from 2018 to 2019. Electronic medical records were queried for all admitted patients diagnosed with ACS. Data was collected for age, gender, race, and lipid profiles on discharge and up to 1-year post-discharge. Results: The study population included 3386 patients of which 2264 (66.8%) were male and 1122 (33.14%) were female. At discharge after ACS event, 81.1% of males were on GDLT compared to only 71.6% females. Further, at post-discharge follow-up 65.1% males were still on GDLT compared to 58.3% of females. Rates of goal LDL < 70 mg/dL at post-discharge was 55.5% (602/1085) for males compared to 41.2% (226/548) for females. At this time, ezetimibe prescription rates for males was 7.4% and females was 6.9%. At post-discharge, interestingly, PCSK9-inhibitor prescription rates were 2.9% for females compared to 1.9% for males. Conclusions: Overall, male patients had higher rates of statin prescriptions than female patients on hospital discharge and at post-discharge follow-up. Further, less than half of female patients had LDL < 70 mg/dL at follow-up. Therefore, over half of female patients should be on further lipid lowering therapies. Yet, less than 7% of females are prescribed ezetimibe and only 2.9% are prescribed PCSK9-inhibitors. Further understanding of discrepancies in statin and non-statin prescription rates for female patients are warranted to allow for appropriate secondary ACS prevention.

Carotid Artery Temperature Reduction with Statin Therapy in Patients with Familial Hyperlipidemia Syndromes.

Background: Microwave radiometry (MWR) assesses non-invasive carotid artery temperatures reflecting inflammation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the impact of hypolipidemic therapy either with simvastatin or with combination simvastatin plus ezetimibe on carotid artery temperatures of patients with familial hyperlipidemia syndromes (FHS). Methods: Consecutive patients with diagnosis of either familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia (heFH) or familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) were included in the study. Patients were assigned to either simvastatin 40 mg or simvastatin 40 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg, according to the discretion of the physician. FHS patients who refused statin therapy were used as a control group. Common carotid intima-media thickness (ccIMT) was measured and ΔΤ (maximum-minimum) temperature measurements were performed across each carotid during MWR evaluation. RESULTS: In total, 115 patients were included in the study. Of them, 40 patients received simvastatin (19 heFH and 21 FCH), 41 simvastatin + ezetimibe (31 heFH and 10 FCH), and 34 (21 heFH and 13 FCH) no statin. Carotid artery temperatures were significantly reduced at 6 months in FH patients who received hypolipidemic treatment (0.83 ± 0.34 versus 0.63 ± 0.24 °C, p = 0.004 for simvastatin, 1.00 ± 0.38 versus 0.69 ± 0.23 °C, p < 0.001 for simvastatin + ezetimibe), but no change was recorded in controls (0.72 ± 0.26 versus 0.70 ± 0.26 °C, p = 0.86). Conclusions: Hypolipidemic therapy reduced carotid temperatures in FHS patients.

Statin therapy in hepatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 9 studies with 195,602 participants

Abstract Background Conflicting data suggest that statins could cause hepatitis in certain group of patients, while improving prognosis in patients affected by some chronic liver diseases. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the potential protective role of statins on some main liver-related health outcomes in clinical studies on patients affected by hepatitis. Methods We applied fixed-effects or random-effects meta-analyses with inverse variance weighting to calculate pooled estimates and confidence intervals (95% confidence intervals [CI]). We calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI for the targets of mortality and hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Results Nine studies (N: 195,602 patients) reported data on mortality of patients affected by chronic viral hepatitis, six studies (N: 72,960) reported data on the risk to develop hepatocellular carcinoma, two studies on fibrosis progression (N: 9678) and two studies (N: 85,205) on cirrhosis development. Statins reduce the risk to develop hepatocarcinoma (OR (95% CI) = 0.47 (0.28, 0.81), p=0.005) (Figure 1), liver fibrosis (OR (95% CI) = 0.55 (0.34, 0.87), p&amp;lt;0.001), and cirrhosis (OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.55, 0.62), p&amp;lt;0.0001). There was also no significant link between statin therapy and alanine (Figure 2) and aspartate aminotransferases levels. Moreover, statin therapy is associated with a significant reduction in mortality but only in studies longer than 3 years (OR (95% CI) = 0.38 (0.17, 0.85), p=0.006). Conclusion Long-term treatment with statins seems to be safe in patients affected by hepatitis, while significantly improving their prognosis. Extensive education should be continued in order to avoid discontinuing statin therapy in patients with liver diseases. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1Figure 2

Effectiveness of statins in patients with stroke due to cervical artery dissection: A preliminary study

BackgroundStatin therapy has become one of the most important advances in stroke secondary prevention. Nevertheless, statin therapy in patients who present an ischemic stroke following cervical artery dissection (CAD) has not yet been supported by clinical evidence. This study aimed to investigate the effect of statins on neurological outcomes after a stroke due to CAD. MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study including consecutive patients diagnosed with a stroke due to CAD. Subjects were classified into non-statin, simvastatin 20mg, simvastatin 40mg, and high-potency statin groups. After 2 years, the functional outcome, stroke recurrence, major cardiovascular events, and mortality were assessed. ResultsAmong the 54 patients included in our cohort, there were 16 (29.6%) patients without statins, 22 (40.7%) with simvastatin 20mg, 12 (22.2%) with simvastatin 40mg and 4 (7.5%) with high-potency statins. Using simvastatin 40mg was associated with a significantly lower incidence of stroke recurrence. Patients with simvastatin 40mg and high-potency statins presented the best functional recovery throughout the follow-up (p<.01). DiscussionThe use of statins in patients with CAD-related stroke may improve functional outcomes in specific cases. Statins do not prevent stroke recurrence and major cardiovascular events in this type of stroke.

Efficacy of Statin Therapy in Patients with Hospital Admission for COVID-19.

PurposeCOVID-19 is characterized by dysfunctional immune responses and metabolic derangements, which in some, lead to multi-organ failure and death. Statins are foundational lipid-lowering therapeutics for cardiovascular disease and also possess beneficial immune-modulating properties. Because of these immune-modulating properties, some have suggested their use in COVID-19. We sought to investigate the association between statin use and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.MethodsFive thousand three hundred seventy-five COVID-19 patients admitted to Mount Sinai Health System hospitals in New York between February 27, 2020, and December 3, 2020, were included in this analysis. Statin use was classified as either non-user, low-to-moderate-intensity user, or high-intensity user. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate in-hospital mortality rate. Considered covariates were age, sex, race, and comorbidities.ResultsCompared to non-statin users, both low-to-moderate-intensity (adjusted hazard ratio; aHR 0.62, 95% confidential intervals; CI 0.51–0.76) and high-intensity statin users (aHR 0.53, 95% CI 0.43–0.65) had a reduced risk of death. Subgroup analysis of 723 coronary artery disease patients showed decreased mortality among high-intensity statin users compared to non-users (aHR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36–0.71).ConclusionsStatin use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was associated with a reduced in-hospital mortality. The protective effect of statin was greater in those with coronary artery disease. These data support continued use of statin therapy in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Clinical trials are needed to prospectively determine if statin use is effective in lowering the mortality in COVID-19 and other viral infections.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10557-021-07263-2.

Real-life perioperative statin therapy in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing surgical revascularization: The safety and prevention of early complications

Background and Aims: To study safety profile and evaluate the impact of perioperative statins on early postoperative complications (EPOCs) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Statin Therapy in Patients Undergoing Thoracic Aorta Replacement for Aortic Aneurysms.

Background Patients undergoing surgery for thoracic aortic aneurysms receive statin therapy out of proportion to cardiovascular comorbidity. We sought to determine the prevalence of statin use among patients presenting for thoracic aortic aneurysm surgery and investigate its effect on outcomes. Methods From January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2011, 1,839 consecutive patients underwent aortic replacement for degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysm at Cleveland Clinic. Of these, 771 (42%) were on statins preoperatively. Statin users (vs. nonstatin users) were older (65 ± 11 vs. 56 ± 16 years) and had more hypertension (78 vs. 59%). Propensity matching based on 56 preoperative variables other than lipid levels was used to compare outcomes among 570 matched patient pairs (74% of possible pairs). Results Propensity-matched statin and nonstatin users were aged 64 ± 11 years, 394 (69%) versus 387 (68%) were male, and 437 (77%) versus 442 (78%) had ascending aortic aneurysms, respectively. Overall, 25% of patients were followed for more than 8.2 years and 10% for more than 10 years. Perioperative outcomes were similar, including hospital mortality (11 [1.9%] vs. 5 [0.88%]) and stroke (22 [3.9%] vs. 13 [2.3%]), but 16 statin users (2.8%) versus 5 nonstatin users (0.88%) required temporary dialysis after surgery ( p = 0.02). At 6 years, 3.7% of statin users versus 5.1% of nonstatin users ( p [log-rank] = 0.5) underwent further aortic surgery, and at 10 years, mortality was 25% in both groups ( p > 0.5). Conclusion Patients presenting for thoracic aortic aneurysm surgery frequently receive unnecessary statins. Additionally, statin use was associated with more postoperative renal failure, but not less intermediate-term risk for aortic reintervention or all-cause mortality after surgery. Therefore, presence of a thoracic aortic aneurysm should not be considered an indication for statin therapy in the absence of well-established indications.

Prognostic value of statin therapy in patients with myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA): a meta-analysis

Background Given the complex aetiology and a limited amount of evidence, the medical treatment (including statin use) of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) remains uncertain. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of statin therapy on major cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality in MINOCA patients. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of time-to-event outcomes were performed of studies of statin therapy on MINOCA patients, reporting data from MACE or mortality, after searching the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases. A fixed-effects meta-analysis model was then applied. Results Six observational studies of statin therapy on MINOCA, involving a total of 11,171 patients, were identified and considered eligible for analysis (9129 subjects received statin therapy while 2042 patients were part of the respective control arms). Quantitative analysis (5 studies were included) showed that statin use was associated with lower mortality (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.56–0.75, I 2: 0%). Also, the meta-analysis showed that statin therapy was associated with a lower incidence of MACE (HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.69–0.88, I 2:27%). Conclusion Our data suggest that in a population with MINOCA, the use of statin therapy results in significant reduction on MACE and mortality. These results must be confirmed in future clinical trials.

The Challenge: Finding the Most Appropriate Statin and Dose for Each Patient.

• Discontinuing statin therapy results in increased cardiovascular risk. • The nocebo effect is a common reason for perceived statin intolerance. • Statin intolerance is much less commonly reported in clinical trials than in clinical practice, suggesting that patient education and other safeguards employed in clinical trials are important to include in clinical practice. • Several strategies are available that can enable continuation of statin therapy in patients who are truly statin-intolerant.