A meta-analysis, published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests an association between statin use and decrease in D-dimer levels. Furthermore, the association was independent of the duration of treatment and the type of statin.
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 22 studies (7 randomised controlled trials, 11 cohort studies and 4 cross-sectional studies) identified through a literature search on the EMBASE, Medline Epub, Cochrane, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases.
The findings showed that participants receiving statin therapy had lower D-dimer levels compared with control participants (standardised mean difference [SMD], −0.165; 95% CI, −0.234 to −0.096; P<.001). Duration of treatment (<12 vs ≥12 weeks) did not influence the effect of statin use on D-dimer levels (P=.887). Similarly, the type of statin (lipophilic or hydrophilic) did not modify the association (P=.167).
According to the authors, there is a possibility that the lowering of D-dimer levels in statin users could affect the performance of diagnostic algorithms on suspected venous thromboembolism. They call for further prospective studies to examine the effect of statin use on these algorithms.
