Statin improves survival in liver transplant recipients

Recipients of liver transplantation fare well with the use of statins, which a recent study showing that the drugs confer survival advantage.

The study used data from a nationwide prospective database cohort and included 998 adult patients who underwent transplantation with livers from deceased donors. Researchers assessed the effect of statins on the outcomes of liver transplantation using a multistate modelling approach, with an observation period of 3 years.

The recipients had a mean age of 54.46 years, with the majority (70 percent) of the population being men. Statin exposure was recorded in 14 percent of the donors and 19 percent of the recipients.

Over the observation period, a total of 141 patients died. There were 40 re-transplantations performed, and a total of 363 complications were documented, with 66 patients having two or more complications.

Modelled as a concurrent covariate, treatment with statins in the recipient was associated with lower risks of mortality after liver transplantation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.35, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.12–0.98; p=0.047) and re-transplantation (p=0.004). However, statin exposure did not seem to exert any influence on the incidence of complications (HR, 1.25, 95 percent CI, 0.85–1.83; p=0.266).

Meanwhile, among patients who developed complications, statin users had a significantly lower mortality (HR, 0.10, 95 percent CI, 0.01–0.81; p=0.030) and reduced recurrence of complications (HR, 0.43, 95 percent CI, 0.20–0.93; p=0.032).

In light of the findings, the researchers suggested that statin administration be encouraged in liver transplant recipients when clinically indicated.