Open AccessStatin Use and COVID-19 Infectivity and Severity in South Korea: Two Population-Based Nationwide Cohort Studies
Author(s) -
Seungwon Lee,
So Young Kim,
Sung Yong Moon,
In Kyung Yoo,
Eun-Gyong Yoo,
Gwang Hyeon Eom,
Jae Min Kim,
Lee Smıth,
Myung Ho Jeong,
JaeHo Yang,
Dong Keon Yon
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir public health and surveillance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2960
DOI - 10.2196/29379
Subject(s) - medicine , cohort , cohort study , statin , intensive care unit , population , propensity score matching , retrospective cohort study , clinical endpoint , emergency medicine , clinical trial , environmental health
Background Basic studies suggest that statins as add-on therapy may benefit patients with COVID-19; however, real-world evidence of such a beneficial association is lacking. Objective We investigated differences in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 (composite endpoint: admission to intensive care unit, invasive ventilation, or death) between statin users and nonusers. Methods Two independent population-based cohorts were analyzed, and we investigated the differences in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and severe clinical outcomes of COVID-19, such as admission to the intensive care unit, invasive ventilation, or death, between statin users and nonusers. One group comprised an unmatched cohort of 214,207 patients who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing from the Global Research Collaboration Project (GRCP)-COVID cohort, and the other group comprised an unmatched cohort of 74,866 patients who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)-COVID cohort. Results The GRCP-COVID cohort with propensity score matching had 29,701 statin users and 29,701 matched nonusers. The SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate was not associated with statin use (statin users, 2.82% [837/29,701]; nonusers, 2.65% [787/29,701]; adjusted relative risk [aRR] 0.97; 95% CI 0.88-1.07). Among patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the GRCP-COVID cohort, 804 were statin users and 1573 were matched nonusers. Statin users were associated with a decreased likelihood of severe clinical outcomes (statin users, 3.98% [32/804]; nonusers, 5.40% [85/1573]; aRR 0.62; 95% CI 0.41-0.91) and length of hospital stay (statin users, 23.8 days; nonusers, 26.3 days; adjusted mean difference –2.87; 95% CI –5.68 to –0.93) than nonusers. The results of the NHIS-COVID cohort were similar to the primary results of the GRCP-COVID cohort. Conclusions Our findings indicate that prior statin use is related to a decreased risk of worsening clinical outcomes of COVID-19 and length of hospital stay but not to that of SARS-CoV-2 infection.