Takeaway
- This study found a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that was potentially attributable to the use of statin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
- The use of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i) did not influence the risk of RA in patients with T2D.
Why this matters
- Findings warrant further investigation in a trial setting to assess whether statins can prevent the development of RA in individuals at high risk of RA.
Study design
- This retrospective cohort study included 224,551 newly diagnosed patients with T2DM and 449,101 matched patients without T2D from the IQVIA medical research database (IMRD-UK; 1995-2019).
- Funding: MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research.
Key results
- Patients with T2D had a reduced risk of developing RA vs those without T2D (incidence rate, 8.1 vs 10.6 per 10,000 person-years; adjusted HR [aHR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.67-0.79).
- After excluding all patients who had a history of statin use, the aHR increased to 0.89 (95% CI, 0.69-1.14; P=.34), and no significant difference was seen between the groups.
- No significant association was seen between glycaemic control (aHR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-1.00), use of metformin (aHR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.82-1.22), DPP4i (aHR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.71-1.24) and the risk of RA.
- Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of RA in patients with T2D (aHR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88).
- In a duration-response analysis for statin use, aHRs for risk of RA was evident only after 3 years’ worth of prescription (3-4.5 years: aHR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.57-1.05) and ≥4.5 years (aHR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57-0.98).
Limitations
- Retrospective design.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
