Hyperlipidemia and Statin Use on the Progression of Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is progressive wear and tear disease that affects multiple joints, including knees, hips, and spine. OA causes structural damage to joints. Although hypertension, type II diabetes, and hyperlipidemia have a silent effect, for the most part, the addition of osteoarthritis has a limiting and debilitating impact on patients. Common symptoms of OA include joint pain, joint swelling, limitations in range of motion that is impacting one’s quality of life. The question being investigated in this systematic review is whether hyperlipidemia or the use of statin has any effect on osteoarthritis and progression of osteoarthritis. This systematic review of 13 articles was done to explore if there is an effect of hyperlipidemia and statin use on the progression of osteoarthritis. This study included 6,974,538 total participants. Eight studies out of the 13 investigated the effect of statin use. Out of the 13 articles, five studies investigated the impact of lipid levels on OA. The total participants cannot be divided into statin users and non-users because some studies did not divide the participants into two groups. Studies that investigated the effect of lipid levels on OA were studied based on age. Some included only women in their study, and one study was solely conducted in the military population. Therefore, these studies cannot be divided based on age. Further research is needed to significantly conclude either the positive or negative correlation of hyperlipidemia and statin use on osteoarthritis and its progression.