Effect of statin on life prognosis in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis

Statin Therapy for Hyperlipidemic Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on 925,418 Adults in Taiwan

Background: For non-dialysis patients with hyperlipidemia, statins may provide clinical benefits in reducing mortality risk; however, the optimal treatment for dialysis patients with hyperlipidemia remains debatable. We evaluated the mortality risks for hyperlipidemic patients with renal disorders associated with statin therapy (ST), using the insurance claims data of Taiwan.

Methods: From hyperlipidemic patients diagnosed in 2000–2011, we identified 555,153 patients receiving statin treatment for at least 90 days continuously and 1,141,901 non-statin users, and then randomly selected, from both groups, the propensity score-matched subcohorts of statin users and nonusers in a 1:1 pair by renal function: 415,453 pairs with normal renal function , 43,632 pairs with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and 3,624 pairs with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We compared the mortalities, by the end of 2016, from all causes, cancer, heart disease, and septicemia between statin users and non-users and between hydrophilic-statin users and lipophilic-statin users. The Cox method estimated ST users to non-user hazard ratios. The time-dependent model was also conducted as sensitivity analysis.

Results: The mean ages were 58.7 ± 10.7, 64.2 ± 10.7, and 62.2 ± 10.8 years in normal renal function, CKD, and ESRD groups, respectively. Compared with non-users, statin users had reduced mortality risks from all causes for 32%–38%, from cancer for 37%–46%, from heart disease for 6%–24%, and from septicemia for 17%–21% in all three renal groups. The hydrophilic statin therapy was superior than the lipophilic statin therapy, particularly for reducing deaths from all-causes and cancer. The results under the time-dependent model were similar.

Conclusion: Statin therapy is associated with reduced all-causes and non-cardiovascular mortality in ESRD patients.

Prognostic impact of polypharmacy by drug essentiality in patients on hemodialysis

Although polypharmacy is common among patients on hemodialysis (HD), its association with prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the association between the number of prescribed medicines and all-cause mortality in patients on HD, accounting for essential medicines (i.e., antihypertensives, antidiabetic medicines, and statins) and non-essential medicines. We evaluated 339 patients who underwent maintenance HD at Nagasaki Renal Center between July 2011 and June 2012 and followed up until June 2021. After adjusting for patient characteristics, the number of regularly prescribed medicines (10.0 ± 4.0) was not correlated with prognosis (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.05, p = 0.60). However, the number of non-essential medicines (7.9 ± 3.6) was correlated with prognosis (HR: 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10, p = 0.009). Adjusting for patient characteristics, patients who were prescribed more than 10 non-essential medicines were found to have a significantly higher probability of mortality than those prescribed less than five non-essential medicines, with a relative risk of 2.01 (p = 0.004). In conclusion, polypharmacy of non-essential medicines increases the risk of all-cause mortality in patients on HD. As such, prescribing essential medicines should be prioritized, and the clinical relevance of each medicine should be reviewed by physicians and pharmacists.

The Effect of Statins in Cancer Risk Reduction in Patients on Dialysis: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Simple Summary

The lifetime risk of several cancers is elevated in patients receiving dialysis following kidney failure compared with the general population. Using a large dataset available in Taiwan, we conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study to delineate the relationship between statin use and cancer risk in patients on dialysis. Our study provides an association that statins reduce the risk of malignancy in patients on dialysis, especially with a longer treatment duration, and irrespective of the type of statin prescription. The use of statins in patients on dialysis was associated with significantly lower incidences in developing respiratory, soft tissue and connective tissue, breast, gynecological, prostate, central nervous system, and lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer.

Abstract

Background: To realize whether statins reduce the risk of cancer in susceptible dialysis populations, this study analyzed the relationship between statin use and cancer risk in patients on dialysis. Methods: Patients having a history of chronic kidney disease with hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis and receiving statin prescriptions or not were enrolled. The main outcome was cancer diagnosis. This study used univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results: In total, 4236 individuals in the statin group and 8472 individuals in the statin nonuser group were included in the study. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that statin users are significantly less likely to develop cancer than statin nonusers (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78–0.90). Subgroup analyses revealed that statin cumulative defined daily doses >365 were associated with a significantly decreased risk of cancer incidence (adjusted HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45–0.87), and statin users have a reduced risk of respiratory, soft tissue and connective tissue, breast, gynecological, prostate, central nervous system, and lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer than nonusers. Conclusions: Our population-based cohort study provides an association that statins reduce the risk of malignancy in patients on dialysis, especially with a longer treatment duration, and certain types of cancer.

Association between the psoas muscle index and hospitalization for pneumonia in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Background

Although muscle mass loss and pneumonia are common and crucial issues in hemodialysis (HD) patients, few reports have focused on their association, which remains unclear. This study assessed the association between skeletal muscle mass and the incidence of pneumonia in HD patients using the psoas muscle index (PMI).

Methods

This retrospective study included 330 patients on HD who were treated at a single center between July 2011 and June 2012. The observation period was between July 2011 and June 2021. Demographic, clinical, and HD data were collected, and the associations between PMI and hospitalization due to bacterial pneumonia were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for patients’ background data. Additionally, the correlation between patient characteristics and PMI was evaluated using multivariable linear regression.

Results

Among 330 patients (mean age, 67.3 ± 13.3; 56.7% male; median dialysis vintage 58 months, (interquartile range [IQR] 23–124), 79 were hospitalized for pneumonia during the observation period (median observation period was 4.5 years [IQR 2.0–9.1]). The multivariable Cox proportional analysis, which was adjusted for age, sex, dialysis vintage, diabetes mellitus, and stroke history and considered death as a competing risk, indicated that decreased PMI/(standard deviation) was closely associated with the development of pneumonia (hazard ratio: 0.67, 95% confidence interval: 0.47–0.95, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Skeletal muscle mass was associated with the development of pneumonia in patients on HD and could be a useful marker for the risk of pneumonia.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12882-021-02612-7.

The impact of muscle mass loss and deteriorating physical function on prognosis in patients receiving hemodialysis

Muscle mass loss and worsening physical function are crucial issues in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). However, few studies have investigated the association between temporal changes in muscle mass and physical function in a large number of HD patients. We examined 286 patients receiving HD (males, 58%; age, 66.8 ± 13.0 years) at a single center, and calculated the percent changes in psoas muscle mass index (%PMI) using computed tomography over two screenings, once per year (July 2011–June 2013). Physical function was evaluated using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) (range 0–4). The observation period was from July 2012 to June 2021. The median %PMI was -9.5%, and those with the lowest quartile of %PMI (< −20.5%) showed a significantly poor prognosis compared with other patients (p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that these patients tended to have decreased physical function (ECOG-PS 2–4) [odds ratio (OR): 2.46, p < 0.001] and albumin levels (OR: 0.22, p = 0.007). Multiple-factor-adjusted Cox regression analyses showed that %PMI (hazard ratio: 0.99, p = 0.004) and each ECOG-PS stage (1–4 vs. 0) (p < 0.01) were associated with mortality. Augmenting physical activities in daily life and serum albumin levels should be considered to maintain muscle mass and improve the prognosis of patients receiving HD.

Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis: impact of statins as immune-modulatory agents on inflammatory markers in adults with chronic diseases

INTRODUCTION

Statins, also known as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, are lipid-lowering agents that are central in preventing or reducing the complications of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Because statins have anti-inflammatory properties, there is considerable interest in their therapeutic potential in other chronic inflammatory conditions. We aim to identify the statin with the greatest ability to reduce systemic inflammation, independent of the underlying disease entity.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We aim to conduct a comprehensive search of published and peer-reviewed randomised controlled clinical trials, with at least one intervention arm of a Food & Drug Administration-licensed or European Medicines Agency-licensed statin and a minimum treatment duration of 12 weeks. Our objective is to investigate the effect of statins (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin) on lipid profile, particularly, cholesterol low-density lipoprotein and inflammation markers such as high-sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP), CRP, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, soluble cluster of differentiation 14 (sCD14) or sCD16 in adults, published in the last 20 years (between January 1999 and December 2019). We aim to identify the most potent statin to reduce systemic inflammation and optimal dosing. The following databases will be searched: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews. The risk of bias of included studies will be assessed by Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. The quality of studies will be assessed, to show uncertainty, by the Jadad Score. If sufficient evidence is identified, a meta-analysis will be conducted with risk ratios or ORs with 95% CIs in addition to mean differences.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. Results will be presented at conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020169919.

Correction: Effect of statin on life prognosis in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224111.].