Mortality benefit of statin use in traumatic spinal cord injury: a retrospective analysis.
METHODS
An observational study based on retrospective review of the medical charts and death records of 163 individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI).


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether HMG coA Reductase Inhibitor ('statin') use in a cohort of patients with traumatic SCI reduced overall and cause-specific mortality.


METHODS
An outpatient clinic designated for veterans with SCI at the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Hospital.


METHODS
Review and analysis of the medical records of 163 veterans with traumatic SCI cared for between the years 2000 and 2014. Data collected included statin use, duration of statin use and intensity of statin therapy, as well as cause-specific mortality.


RESULTS
Seventy five participants had taken statins for an average of 5.7 ± 3.7 years, and had greater cardiovascular risk burdens than those who had not taken statins (n = 88). Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of death. The mortality rate for those patients on statins was 33.8-49.9 per 1000 person-years, depending on assumptions made regarding residual effects of statin use. Under most assumptions this was significantly lower than the mortality rate seen in those not on statins (47.4-66.8 deaths per 1000 person-years). Within the statin group, neither duration nor average intensity of statin therapy affected mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Statin use among a cohort of veterans with traumatic SCI reduced all-cause mortality. This retrospective study ought to spur further investigations into the potential benefits of statin use among people with chronic SCI, and begin a discussion as to whether individuals with injuries should routinely be offered statin therapy.
Departments of Internal Medicine and Neurosurgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA.
M D
MD
Stillman
Department of Pediatrics, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
C E
CE
Aston
Department of Neurobiology, University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Oklahoma University, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
M H
MH
Rabadi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D012307:Risk Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014728:Veterans
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors