Association between statin use prior to admission and lower coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity in patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases and/or risk factors (CVDRF) have been reported as risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods and Results: In total, we selected 693 patients with CVDRF from the CLAVIS-COVID database of 1,518 cases in Japan. The mean age was 68 years (35% females). Statin use was reported by 31% patients at admission. Statin users exhibited lower incidence of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) insertion (1.4% vs. 4.6%, odds ratio [OR]: 0.295, P=0.037) and septic shock (1.4% vs. 6.5%, OR: 0.205, P=0.004) despite having more comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: This study suggests the potential benefits of statins use against COVID-19.