Aortic & peripheral vascular disease
Association of Statin Dose With Amputation and Survival in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease
Authors' conclusion
This is the first population-based study to show that high-intensity statin use at the time of PAD diagnosis is associated with a significant reduction in limb loss and mortality in comparison with low-to-moderate-intensity statin users, and patients treated only with antiplatelet medications but not with statins, as well.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with incident PAD (2003–2014), national Veterans Affairs data
- Participants
- 155,647 patients
- Exposure
- High-intensity vs low-to-moderate-intensity statins vs antiplatelet therapy without statin
- Outcome
- Lower extremity amputation and death
Methodological detailspropensity-score matched analysis, national Veterans Affairs data
- Propensity-score matched analysis
- National Veterans Affairs data
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Each group vs antiplatelet therapy onlyHazard ratio (95% CI)
High-intensity statinamputation; adjusted Cox
0.67(0.61–0.74)
High-intensity statinmortality; adjusted Cox
0.74(0.70–0.77)
Low-to-moderate-intensity statinamputation
0.81(0.75–0.86)
Low-to-moderate-intensity statindeath
0.83(0.81–0.86)
- Effect of low-to-moderate-intensity statins significantly weaker than high-intensity statins
- P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Not on statins
- 28%
- High-intensity statin use, PAD only
- 6.4%
- High-intensity statin use, comorbid coronary/carotid disease
- 18.4%
Original publication
Association of Statin Dose With Amputation and Survival in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease. Circulation. Published 12 January 2018. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →