Effectiveness of Statins as Primary Prevention in People With Gout: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Background: Cardiovascular guidelines do not give firm recommendations on statin therapy in patients with gout because evidence is lacking. Aim: To analyze the effectiveness of statin therapy in primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke (IS), and all-cause mortality in a population with gout. Methods: A retrospective cohort study (July 2006 to December 2017) based on Information System for the Development of Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP(Q)), a research-quality database of electronic medical records, included primary care patients (aged 35-85 years) without previous cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were categorized as nonusers or new users of statins (defined as receiving statins for the first time during the study period). Index date was first statin invoicing for new users and randomly assigned to nonusers. The groups were compared for the incidence of CHD, IS, and all-cause mortality, using Cox proportional hazards modeling adjusted for propensity score. Results: Between July 2006 and December 2008, 8018 individuals were included; 736 (9.1%) were new users of statins. Median follow-up was 9.8 years. Crude incidence of CHD was 8.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.25-10.65) and 6.56 (95% CI: 5.85-7.36) events per 1000 person-years in new users and nonusers, respectively. Hazard ratios were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.60-1.19) for CHD, 0.68 (0.44-1.05) for IS, and 0.87 (0.67-1.12) for all-cause mortality. Hazard for diabetes was 1.27 (0.99-1.63). Conclusions: Statin therapy was not associated with a clinically significant decrease in CHD. Despite higher risk of CVD in gout populations compared to general population, patients with gout from a primary prevention population with a low-to-intermediate incidence of CHD should be evaluated according to their cardiovascular risk assessment, lifestyle recommendations, and preferences, in line with recent European League Against Rheumatism recommendations.