Use of statins and adverse outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: An analysis from the EURObservational Research Programme Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) general registry pilot phase

BACKGROUND: Despite oral anticoagulation being highly effective in reducing stroke and thromboembolism, patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) still have a significant residual excess in mortality risk. Additional management strategies are needed to reduce the mortality risk seen in AF patients.

METHODS: Ancillary analysis from the EURObservational Research Programme Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) General Pilot Registry, to evaluate 1-year outcomes in AF patients according to statin use at baseline.

RESULTS: Of 2636 patients, 1286 (48.8%) patients used statins at baseline. Patients prescribed statins had more comorbidities. At 1-year follow-up, logistic regression analysis adjusted for AF type, symptomatic status and CHA2DS2-VASc score demonstrated that statin use was inversely associated with CV death (odds ratio [OR]: 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.82, p<0.0001), all-cause death (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.37-0.73, p<0.0001) and the composite outcome of CV death/any thromboembolic event/bleeding (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.52-0.98, p<0.0001). Similar findings were observed for 'high risk' subgroups including the elderly, primary prevention and high thromboembolic risk AF patients. Survival analysis showed that statins prescribed patients had a lower risk of all-cause death at follow-up (p=0.0433). Multivariate Cox regression analysis found that statin use remained independently associated with a lower risk for all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.88, p=0.0077).

CONCLUSIONS: Statin use in AF patients was associated with improved outcomes, with an independent association with a lower risk of all-cause death at 1-year follow-up.