New research has shown that Covid-positive patients, especially the hypertensive patients and those with heart disease, who had been taking statins before being hospitalised for Covid-19 had far less probability of dying.

These findings from the American Heart Association’s COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry were published July 15, 2021 in the journal PLoS One. All consecutive adult patients hospitalized from January 2020 through September 2020 with active Covid-19 disease confirmed by RT-PCR test or positive IgM antibody test, at any of 104 participating hospitals regardless of CVD status are included in the Registry. This study analysed data from 10,541 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across the United States. It compared similar patients who did and did not use statins or anti-hypertensive medication, among those both with and without underlying health conditions.

Prior to hospitalization, 42% of subjects (n = 4,449) had been taking statins; of these, 7% were on statins alone, while 35% were on statins and anti-hypertensive drugs. Use of statins and/or anti-hypertensives was found to lower the risk of death among hospitalized patients by 32%; this risk reduction was more marked in the presence of heart disease and/or hypertension. The in-hospital mortality declined by ≥40%, while the risk of developing a severe outcome decreased by ≥25%.

These findings suggest that patients, especially those with underlying heart disease, who have been prescribed statins and/or antihypertensive medication, can safely continue taking them as they may reduce risk of severe Covid-19 as well as death from Covid-19. These observations also support aggressive initiation of statin and anti-hypertensive therapies among patients at risk for COVID-19, if these treatments are indicated based upon underlying medical conditions.

Statins are anti-atherosclerotic drugs and also exert beneficial effects via pleiotropic mechanisms of action, which include anti-inflammatory effects, immune system modulation, reduction of oxidative stress and improvement in endothelial cell function. They can stabilize or even reverse the high-risk vulnerable plaque by reduction of lipid accumulation in a necrotic lipid core, reduction of inflammation and improvement of endothelial function (Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2016 Aug; 6(4): 304–321). Statins may also have a direct inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV2 with resultant potential cardioprotective effect.

(Source: AHA News Release July 15, 2021; PLoS One; 2021 Jul 15;16(7):e0254635)