title: Statin use and risk of depression: a Swedish national cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Statin medications, used to prevent heart disease by reducing cholesterol, also reduce inflammation and protect against oxidative damage. As inflammation and oxidative stress occur in depression, there is interest in their potential to reduce depression risk. We investigated whether use of statin medications was associated with a change in the risk of developing depression in a very large Swedish national cohort (n = 4,607,990).
  
  
  METHODS
  National register data for adults ≥40yr was analyzed to obtain information about depression diagnoses and prescriptions of statin medications between 2006 and 2008. Associations were tested using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Use of any statin was shown to reduce the odds of depression by 8% compared to individuals not using statin medications (OR = 0.92, 95% CI, 0.89-0.96; p < 0.001). Simvastatin had a protective effect (OR = 0.93, 95% CI, 0.89-0.97; p = 0.001), whereas atorvastatin was associated with increased risk of depression (OR = 1.11, 95% CI, 1.01-1.22; p = 0.032). There was a stepwise decrease in odds ratio with increasing age (OR ≥ 40 years = 0.95, OR ≥ 50 years = 0.91, OR ≥ 60 years = 0.85, OR ≥ 70 years = 0.81).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of any statin was associated with a reduction in risk of depression in individuals over the age of 40. Clarification of the strength of these protective effects, the clinical relevance of these effects and determination of which statins are most effective is needed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. cassie.redlich@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cassie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Redlich
authors.affiliation: IMPACT Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, 3220, Australia. MIKEBE@barwonhealth.org.au.|Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia. MIKEBE@barwonhealth.org.au.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berk
authors.affiliation: IMPACT Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, 3220, Australia. LANAW@barwonhealth.org.au.|Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia. LANAW@barwonhealth.org.au.
authors.forename: Lana J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. jan.sundquist@med.lu.se.|Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. jan.sundquist@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sundquist
authors.affiliation: Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. kristina.Sundquist@med.lu.se.|Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. kristina.Sundquist@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sundquist
authors.affiliation: Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. xinjun.Li@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Xinjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011758:Pyrroles; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D019821:Simvastatin