A population-based study including more than 51,000 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) showed compared with non-use of statins, statin use was linked with a lower risk for ischemic stroke and systemic embolism and other cerebral adverse events.
According to Jiayi Huang, PhD candidate, literature about the influence of statin use on the risk for new-onset AF-related adverse outcomes is inconclusive. To fill this knowledge gap, she and her colleagues evaluated whether statin use improves health outcomes in patients with non-valvular AF without a history of stroke or related complications. They presented their remarks the 2023 European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) Congress, held from April 16 to 18, in Barcelona, Spain.1
Of the 51,472 patients in the study, 11,866 received statins after their first diagnosis of AF; 39,606 were not treated with these agents. The primary endpoints included ischemic stroke and systemic embolism, transient ischemic attack, and hemorrhagic stroke.
Prior treatment with statins was linked with a lower risk for ischemic stroke/systemic embolism than non-use of statins (sub-distribution HR [SHR] 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78-0.89), after a median follow-up of 5.1 years. Likewise, in participants who had been treated with statins, the risk for hemorrhagic stroke (SHR 0.93) and transient ischaemic attack (SHR 0.85) appeared to be lower. Furthermore, long-term use of statins (≥6 years) resulted in a significantly reduced risk for these three endpoints compared with short-term use of statins (3 months to <2 years), with respective SHRs of 0.57, 0.56, and 0.58.
In conclusion, the study authors suggest that statin use is related to a reduced risk for cerebral adverse events in patients with AF, with a more pronounced effect on long-term users of these agents.
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