Can Statins Reduce the Risk of VTE Recurrence?

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) who take statins may have a significantly lower risk of recurrent VTE, according to a new study.

To assess the association between statin use and VTE recurrence, the researchers analyzed data on the 3027 patients with acute symptomatic VTE from the COMMAND VTE Registry. The patients had been enrolled in the registry after visiting any of 29 centers in Japan between January 2010 and August 2014. 

Based on their statin use at baseline, 437 patients were assigned to the statin group and 2590 to the no-statin group. Compared with the no-statin group, the statin group was older (66.5 vs 71.2 years), included more women (60% vs 67%), and less frequently had active cancer (25% vs 12%); however, there was no significant difference in the clinical presentation of VTE (pulmonary embolism, 56% vs 58%).

According to the researchers, the statin group had a significantly lower cumulative 3-year incidence of recurrent VTE (3.8%) than the no-statin group (8.8%). The association remained significant even after adjusting for confounders such as active cancer. 

The researchers also performed a sensitivity subgroup analysis of patients with and without active cancer, which yielded consistent results. 

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Yoshikawa Y, Yamashita Y, Morimoto T, et al; COMMAND VTE Registry Investigators. Effect of statins on recurrent venous thromboembolism (from the COMMAND VTE Registry). Am J Cardiol. 2020;125(2):189-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.10.011.