Real-world Effectiveness of Statin Therapy in Adult Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Blood lipids affect airway inflammation in asthma. Although several studies have suggested anti-inflammatory effects of statins on asthmatic airways, further studies are needed to clarify the long-term effectiveness of statins on asthma control and whether they are an effective treatment option.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of statins in the chronic management of adult asthma in real-world practice.

METHODS: Electronic medical record data spanning 28 years, collected from Ajou University Medical Center in Korea, were utilized to conduct a retrospective study. Clinical outcomes were compared between asthma patients who had maintained statin use (the statin group) and those not taking statins whose blood lipid tests were always normal (the nonstatin group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed, and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Severe asthma exacerbation (SAE) was the primary outcome; asthma exacerbation (AE), asthma-related hospitalization, and new-onset type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension (HTN) were secondary outcomes.

RESULTS: After 1:1 PSM, the statin and nonstatin groups each included 545 adult asthma patients. The risk of SAEs and AEs was significantly lower in the statin group than in the nonstatin group (HR [95% CI]; 0.57 [0.35-0.90] and 0.71 [0.52-0.96], respectively). There were no significant differences in the risk of asthma-related hospitalization or new-onset T2DM or HTN between the two groups (0.76 [0.53-1.09], 2.33 [0.94-6.59], 1.71 [0.95-3.17], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Statin use is associated with a lower risk of AE with better clinical outcomes in adult asthma.