title: Statin use and risk of first-time psoriasis diagnosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Statins have been suggested as a potential treatment for psoriasis because of their anti-inflammatory properties. However, evidence on the benefits of statins is scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to study the association between use of statins or other lipid-lowering agents and the risk of developing psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a case-control analysis using the United Kingdom-based General Practice Research Database. We identified patients with an incident psoriasis diagnosis between 1994 and 2005 and matched one control subject to each patient on age, sex, general practice, calendar time, and years of history in the database. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), stratified exposure by timing and duration, and adjusted the ORs for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 36,702 incident psoriasis cases and the same number of matched controls. Adjusted ORs for current use (last prescription <30 days before index date) of 1 to 4, 5 to 19, or greater than or equal to 20 prescriptions for statins, as compared with nonuse, were 0.60 (95% CI 0.45-0.80), 1.00 (95% CI 0.84-1.18), and 1.08 (95% CI 0.92-1.28), respectively. The ORs for recent and past use (last prescription 30-89 days and ≥90 days ago, respectively) were around 1, except for past use of 1 to 4 prescriptions (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.09-1.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Potential of residual confounding as a result of retrospective study design is a limitation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This large case-control study does not provide evidence for an altered risk of developing psoriasis in association with long-term use of statins. The reduced psoriasis risk for current short-term statin users is interesting, but whether the association is indeed causal needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Basel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yolanda B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Brauchli
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Jick
authors.forename: Christoph R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Meier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents