Use of Statins Lowers Risk of Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis Patients

A recent study found that the use of statins which are commonly prescribed for managing cholesterol levels to be associated with a reduced incidence of Portal Vein Thrombosis (PVT) in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The key findings published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology underscores the potential benefits statins beyond cardiovascular health.

The team led by Waseem Amjad conducted an extensive analysis including a total of 2785 cirrhosis patients and people with specific medical histories like the hepatocellular cancer or liver transplants were excluded. The incidence of PVT was significantly lower in patients who were prescribed statins when compared to those without statin use.

The study revealed that among all the participants, 89 patients developed PVT during the follow-up period. The occurrence of PVT was significantly reduced in patients using statins with a rate of 1.3% when compared to 3.8% in those not using statins. The unadjusted hazard ratio further supported this finding which showed a substantial decrease in PVT risk for those on statins.

After applying a meticulous 1:1 propensity score matching and Cox proportional hazard regression, the findings confirmed the association between statin use and reduced PVT risk. Statin users expressed a 76% reduction in the risk of developing PVT when compared to their non-statin counterparts.

The subgroup analysis provided additional insights by revealing that statin use showed a more pronounced effect in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and those with decompensated cirrhosis. In these subgroups, the reduction in PVT risk was even more substantial which emphasize the potential protective role of statins in specific cirrhosis populations. Further investigation through randomized control trials is essential to validate these observations which can help us mark a significant step in understanding the benefits of statin use beyond its well-established role in cardiovascular health.

Source:

Amjad, W., Jiang, Z., & Lai, M. (2024). Statin use in cirrhosis and its association with incidence of portal vein thrombosis. In Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgh.16495