Statin confers cardioprotection, survival benefit for middle-aged, older diabetics

Statin reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in type 2 diabetes, and this beneficial effect is evident among middle-aged and, to a lesser extent, older patients but not among young patients, a study has found.

Researchers conducted a propensity score-matched type 2 diabetes cohort analysis that involved 168,045 statin users and 168,045 nonusers. Statin use was defined as receipt of at least a 90-day prescription without any prior statin exposure.

The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause death. These events were also examined separately as secondary outcomes.

The mean age of the cohort was 57 years, and the median follow-up was 5 years. Results showed that compared with nonuse, statin use was associated with a significant reduction in the risks of all outcomes. The corresponding hazard ratios were 0.72 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.70–0.73; p<0.001) for the composite outcome, 0.80 (95 percent CI, 0.76–0.84; p<0.001) for myocardial infarction, 0.74 (95 percent CI, 0.71–0.76; p<0.001) for stroke, and 0.68 (95 percent CI, 0.66–0.70; p<0.001) for all-cause death.

The risk reduction with statin use was most pronounced among patients aged 40–74 years, attenuated but significant among those aged ≥75 years, and was not significant among those aged <40 years.