Abstract

Introduction: Statins is a class of lipid-lowering drugs and our previous investigations showed that statins have antiviral effects and have a wound healing effect in the lung. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of statin therapy on mortality and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from December 1, 2019 until January 26, 2022 without any restriction in language. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR). Results: The statin therapy overally was associated with decrease in odds of ventilation pooled OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.70 to 0.99) and mortality pooled OR (95% CI): 0.73 (0.66 to 0.81) but had no effects on the ICU admission pooled OR (95% CI): 0.93 (0.77 to 1.12), oxygen therapy pooled OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.70 to 0.99), recovery pooled OR (95% CI): 1.85 (0.35 to 9.92), kidney failure pooled OR (95% CI): 1.01 (0.73 to 1.40), hospitalization pooled OR (95% CI): 1.45 (0.88 to 2.36), asymptomatic disease pooled OR (95% CI): 1.33 (0.24 to 7.44), and ARDS pooled OR (95% CI): 1.15 (0.88 to 1.49). Conclusion: The present meta-analysis showed that statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk of mortality and ventilation in patients with COVID-19 but had no effects on other clinical outcomes. © 2022 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.