Statin use and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: an incident user cohort study

BACKGROUND: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have higher rates of mortality attributed to the inflammatory nature and the associated burden of cardiovascular complications. Previous research indicates that treatment with statin therapy may play a role in reducing the mortality rate of RA patients, but similar evidence in U.S. patients is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between statin use and overall mortality among RA patients in the United States. METHODS: A population-based study of RA patients with incident statin use was conducted. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with a diagnosis of RA between January 2007 and December 2015 were included and reviewed for the use of statin medication. Time stratified propensity score matching was used to adequately balance the comparison groups. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association. RESULTS: 19,614 people fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study out of which 2,089 were statin users. There were 1,883 statin users that were matched to 1,883 statin nonusers. Baseline characteristics were well balanced across the 2 groups after matching. The hazards ratio for all-cause mortality in patients with RA for statin users was 0.72 (95% CI = 0.56-0.91; P = 0.008) compared with statin nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with no use of statins, current statin use is associated with 28% lower risk of mortality in RA patients. Decision makers and providers should consider and support integration of these results into the current clinical guidelines for delivering quality health care to RA patients.