Statins May Reduce Joint Replacement Risk Among Patients With RA

High-intensity statins may reduce the risk of hip or knee replacement due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new study findings.

The UK cohort study included 178,467 individuals who had been prescribed statins matched by age, gender, practice, and propensity score with 178,467 individuals who had never been prescribed statins. The researchers analyzed electronic health record data to gauge whether statins were associated with knee or hip joint replacement overall and, specifically, joint replacement because of RA or osteoarthritis (OA).

Only the use of high-intensity statins—not low- or medium-intensity statins—lowered the risk of knee or hip replacement overall; this association was present only for joint replacement due to RA, not OA. 

“Further studies to investigate mechanisms of risk reduction and the impact in people with RA are warranted,” the researchers concluded.

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference:

Sarmanova A, Doherty M, Kuo C, et al. Statin use and risk of joint replacement due to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a propensity-score matched longitudinal cohort study. Rheumatology. 2020;59(10):2898-2907. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa044