Statins May Reduce Risk Of Dying From Covid-19, Study Finds

Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins have been shown to be controversial in the past, but they may reduce the risk of dying from Covid-19, a new study suggests.

San Diego researchers analyzed anonymized medical records from a U.S. national registry during the pandemic.

The sample consisted of people who had or had not taken statins before contracting Covid-19 and being admitted to hospital.

Researchers have found that the drug – which is taken in pill form and can be bought over the counter in some areas – reduces the risk of dying in hospital from Covid-19 by 41%.

Statins are a class of drugs that lower the levels of “bad” low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which can lead to hardening and narrowing of the arteries, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

Cutting down LDL cholesterol while taking statins may have anti-inflammatory effects, as LDL itself strongly promotes inflammation, making patients more likely to survive the inflammatory symptoms of Covid.

The study was led by Lori Daniels, professor and director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at UC San Diego Health.

The anti-Covid properties of statins may also be linked to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the researchers say.

ACE2 – an enzyme attached to cell membranes of cells located in arteries and lungs – is already known to be the “gateway” for coronavirus infection.

SARS-CoV-2 has a spike on the surface of its envelope called protein S that allows it to bind to the ACE2 receptor located on human cells.

Once the peak opens the door for the virus to enter the cell, the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, its RNA, binds to a myriad of proteins and begins to replicate.

“Faced with this virus at the start of the pandemic, there was a lot of speculation about certain drugs that affect the body’s ACE2 receptor, including statins, and whether they can influence the risk of Covid-19,” said the Professor Daniels.

“At the time, we believed that statins could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection through their known anti-inflammatory effects and binding abilities, which could potentially stop the progression of the virus.”

For their study, the experts used data from the American Heart Association’s Covid-19 cardiovascular disease registry.

This database contains anonymized health data on patients treated for Covid at more than 140 participating hospitals across the country.

By July 2021, data from more than 49,000 patient records had been integrated into the platform.

The research team analyzed the anonymized medical records of 10,541 patients from the registry who were admitted for Covid over a nine-month period, from January to September 2020, at 104 different US hospitals.

“From this data, we performed more advanced analyzes as we attempted to monitor for the coexistence of medical conditions, socioeconomic status and hospital factors,” said Professor Daniels.

“In doing so, we confirmed our previous findings that statins are associated with a reduced risk of death from Covid-19 in patients hospitalized with Covid-19. ”

Those who benefited the most seemed to have good medical reasons for taking statins, such as a history of cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.

According to the research team, the use of statins or an anti-hypertension drug has been associated with a 32% lower risk of death in hospitalized Covid patients with a history of cardiovascular disease or hypertension.

It can also be attributed to the ACE2 receptor, which helps control blood pressure.

Patients who took statins (alone or in combination with antihypertensive drugs) had a 41 percent lower risk of death.

Compared with those not taking any class of drugs, patients taking a statin alone had a 46% lower risk of death, while those taking both statins and anti-hypertension drugs had a 40% lower risk. .

Statistical matching techniques were used to compare the outcomes of patients who used statins or antihypertensive drugs with similar patients who did not.

“We matched each patient with one or more similar patients, using hospital site, month of admission, age, race, ethnicity, gender, and a list of pre-existing conditions, in order to to make the two groups as comparable as possible, ”said co-author Professor Karen Messer.

But the study did not confirm that statins were definitely the cause of survival.

“As with any observational study, we cannot say for sure that the associations we describe between statin use and reduced severity of Covid-19 infection are certainly due to the statins themselves,” said Professor Daniels.

“However, we can now say with very strong evidence that they can play a role in substantially reducing the risk of a patient dying from Covid-19.

“We hope that the results of our research will encourage patients to continue taking their medication.”

This new study builds on research published by UC San Diego Health last year that included just 170 anonymized medical records of patients specifically receiving care at UC San Diego Health.

At the time, researchers found that using statins before admission to hospital for Covid resulted in a more than 50% reduction in the risk of developing a serious infection.

Statins are widely prescribed – the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 93 percent of patients who use a cholesterol-lowering drug use them.

Although statins are generally well tolerated, many people report aches and pains as a side effect, which may cause some people to stop taking the drug.

They cause minor side effects, such as diarrhea, headaches and nausea, according to the NHS, but they can prevent serious health problems.

The new study, which was published in the journal PLOS One, follows a lot of research into their various benefits.

Last year, experts from the VA Boston Health Care System, a branch of Massachusetts hospitals, found deaths from all causes were 25% lower for those taking statins, in a sample of 300,000. veterans aged 75 or over.

In 2019, another study found that up to 8,000 deaths could be prevented each year in the UK if anyone over the age of 75 was given statins.

Men who take statins have a 24% lower risk of developing a deadly form of prostate cancer, a 2019 study also found.

And in 2017, a 20-year review by British researchers found that the pills reduced the risk of premature death by 28%.

Despite this, there has long been controversy over whether statins should be taken consistently by older people.

“This topic has been controversial with several mixed results in the past, showing little or no benefit from statins in this age group,” said Dr Riyaz Patel, associate professor of cardiology at University College London .

“This in turn has led to uncertainty as to whether statins should be started or even stopped in the elderly.”