Statin use and hospitalization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND

Statins have been widely prescribed to treat hyperlipidemia, and can be used for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Several studies have shown that statins have antiinflammatory effects in addition to cholesterol-lowering properties. There is new evidence suggesting that statins have beneficial effects on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by a persistent inflammatory response.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the association between statins and COPD by using the Taiwan National Health Insurance database.

METHODS

This was a nationwide population-based cohort study. A total of 6252 newly diagnosed COPD patients (median age, 64 years; 50.3% male) who received statins for hyperlipidemia treatment were identified from the 1 million sampling cohort dataset between January 2000 and December 2007. Another 12,469 newly diagnosed COPD patients (median age, 64 years; 50.3% male) who were matched for age, gender, and medication for COPD treatment, except for statin use, were enrolled as the control group. The end point of the study was hospitalization due to COPD.

RESULTS

During an average of 4.58 (2.36) years' follow-up period, there were 1832 patients who experienced hospitalization for COPD exacerbation (statin vs control = 508 [8.1%] vs 1324 [10.6%]; P = 0.001). Statin use was independently associated with the decreased risk of COPD hospitalization (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.60-0.74; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In the selected Taiwanese population, statins were associated with reduced hospitalization due to COPD in patients newly diagnosed with COPD, suggesting a potential beneficial effect of statins in patients with COPD.