Lin SM, et al. - In this population-based propensity score-matched cohort study, experts assessed the connection between statin use and risks of osteoporosis and fracture in stroke patients. Results of this study suggested that statin use is related to reduced risks of osteoporosis, hip fracture, and vertebral fracture in stroke patients.

Methods

• Using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, patients newly diagnosed with a stroke between 2000 and 2012 were identified.
• Five thousand, two hundred fifty-four patients were involved, with 2,627 patients in the statin and nonstatin cohorts after propensity score matching.
• According to statin use status, hazard ratios (HRs) for poststroke osteoporosis, hip fracture, and vertebral fracture (together, the primary outcome) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results

• According to the findings, poststroke statin use was related to a lower overall risk of the primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.66; P < 0.001).
• Statin use was correlated with a reduced risk of all individual outcomes, including osteoporosis (aHR = 0.68; P < 0.001), hip fracture (aHR = 0.59; P < 0.001), and vertebral fracture (aHR = 0.73; P=0.003) in subanalyses.
• Researchers identified a dose-effect relationship in this analysis.
• It was observed that the aHRs for developing the primary outcome were 0.96, 0.86, and 0.34 for patients who used 1 to 90, 91 to 365, and >365 cumulative defined daily doses of statins, respectively.
• Findings revealed that these dose-effect relationships were maintained on subgroup analyses stratified by age, sex, and stroke type and sensitivity analyses conducted without propensity score matching.