Statins may be beneficial for patients with pulmonary hypertension secondary to lung diseases.

BACKGROUND

Previous animal studies and clinical trials report inconsistent findings regarding the role of statins in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Systematic reviews have shown no use of statins on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This is the first meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) determining the clinical impacts of statin therapy on patients with PH secondary to lung diseases.

METHODS

Electronic databases and manual bibliographical searches were conducted. Eligible studies included RCTs of at least 3 months that evaluated statin therapy as compared with control in adult patients with PH due to pulmonary diseases. Statistical analyses were performed to calculate mean difference, relative risks (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effect model.

RESULTS

A total of 6 RCTs were identified and included in this study. Five trials reported the effects of statins in patients with both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and PH, and the remaining 1 was based on PH due to pneumoconiosis. We found that statin therapy was associated with increased 6-minute walk distance and reduced pulmonary artery systolic pressure. There was no observed difference in the incidence of death, drug withdrawal, and adverse event between statin and control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that statins might be safe and beneficial for patients with PH due to chronic lung diseases. However, larger RCTs with more patients and longer observational duration are needed.