The protective role of statins in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND: To evaluate and determine the protective role of statins in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted across five hospitals in India. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized with existing and valid medical documentation were included. RESULTS: This study comprised 3252 COVID-19 patients, of whom 1048 (32.2%) were on statins, with 52.4% being males. The comorbidity prevalence of hypertension was 75%, followed by diabetes 62.51% and coronary artery disease being 47.5%. At the time of hospitalization, statin users had a higher incidence of dyspnea, cough, and fatigue (95.8, 93.3, and 92.7%). The laboratory results revealed a lower mean of WBC count (7.8 × 10(3)/μL), D-dimer (2.4 μg/mL), and C-reactive protein (103 mg/L) among statin users. They also had lower mortality rates (17.1%), a lesser requirement for mechanical ventilation (20%), and hemodialysis (5.4%). CONCLUSION: This observation study elaborates on the beneficial effects of statins in COVID-19 patients. However, the inferences from this study should be viewed with caution due to the impending effect of confounding factors on its statistical results.