Statins may reduce risk of death from COVID-19, finds a major population study

Largest population study

Using data from Swedish registers, the researchers followed 963,876 residents of Stockholm over the age of 45 between March and November 2020. The results are based on analyses of data on the participants' prescribed medication and healthcare and from the Cause of Death Register.

The information was analysed with respect to such factors as diagnosed medical conditions. The results show that statin treatment was associated with a slightly lower risk of dying from COVID-19, a correlation that did not vary significantly among risk groups.

"Our results suggest that statin treatment can have a moderate prophylactic effect on COVID-19 mortality," says co-first author Rita Bergqvist, medical student at Karolinska Institutet.

Randomised studies will be needed to ascertain whether there is a causal relationship, note the researchers.

"All in all, our findings support the continued use of statins for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and high levels of blood lipids in line with current recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic," says co-first author Viktor Ahlqvist, doctoral student at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet.

One limitation of the study concerns the use of prescription data without the possibility of checking individual drug use. The researchers were also not able to control for risk factors such as smoking and high BMI, only diagnosed health status..