Efficacy of statins on renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that the use of statins could significantly improve lipid profiles; however, it remains controversial whether the use of statins could improve renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of statins on renal function in patients with CKD. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases for eligible RCTs from inception to October 2020. Pooled effect estimates were assigned as weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the random-effects model. RESULTS: We selected 33 RCTs that recruited 37,391 patients with CKD patients. The summary results suggested that statin use significantly reduced urinary albumin (WMD: −2.04; 95%CI: −3.53 to −0.56; p = .007) and protein (WMD: −0.58; 95%CI: −0.95 to −0.21; p = .002) excretions and increased creatinine clearance (WMD: 0.86; 95%CI: 0.32–1.41; p = .002). However, there were no significant differences between statin and control groups in terms of changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (WMD: 0.38; 95%CI: −0.04 to 0.79; p = .075), and serum creatinine levels (WMD: −0.07; 95%CI: −0.25, 0.12; p = .475). CONCLUSIONS: We found that statin use in patients with CKD may slow CKD progression by lowering urinary albumin and protein excretions or increasing creatinine clearance. Further large-scale RCTs should be conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of statins on renal outcomes. Abbreviations: CKD: chronic kidney disease; RCT: randomized controlled trials; WMD: weighted mean differences; CI: confidence intervals; ACEI: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate