Statins are safe for rheumatoid arthritis patients to use, new study finds

Researchers say statins are perfectly fine for rheumatoid arthritis patients to take as they pose no additional risk.

The risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke are significantly high for rheumatoid arthritis patients. The risk is almost 50 per cent higher compared with the general population. Even though statins have been found to help to lower LDL cholesterol in high-risk individuals, it is unclear if it could be a safe and effective treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

Therefore, researchers wanted to investigate if statins had any benefits or risks for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. To investigate, the team developed the Trial of Atorvastatin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (TRACE RA). It is arandomised and double-blind trial that compares placebo with statin atorvastatin.

3,002 patients participated in the study, who were all over 50-years-old. Some people in the group had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 10 years. Patients were selected at random to take either atorvastatin 40mg or placebo daily. A follow-up test taken after almost two and a half years found that 1.6 per cent of patients who had taken atorvastatin and 2.4 per cent of patients who had received placebo experienced a heart attack, stroke, transient ischemic attack, arterial revascularisation or cardiovascular death.

Even though there was a 40 per cent reduce risk of cardiovascular events for patients taking atorvastatin, statistically the difference was not very significant. However, the results also showed that patients taking atorvastatin had much lower LDL cholesterol, as well as low levels of C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation.

"The trial found that the statin reduced levels of cholesterol by similar amounts as have been seen in other populations studied. The results also show that it is as safe for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to take statins as for the general population," co-author of the study Professor Deborah Symmons told a news portal. Adding, "In addition, because of the low overall rate of cardiovascular events in the trial population, there is no indication for all patients with rheumatoid arthritis to be prescribed a statin. This is unlike diabetes where the great majority of patients are recommended to take a statin."

Researchers of the study urge patients with rheumatoid arthritis to only take statins according to national guideline in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The team hopes their findings provide insightful information that will help clinicians offer better treatment options for patients with this kind of disease.

The study's findings were originally published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.