Abstract:
Abstract
Background: Despite statins’ indispensable role in the prevention and delay of
cardiovascular disorders, there are conflicting results on the effect of statins on glycemic
control and on the risk of developing incidence type 2 diabetes.
Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of statins therapy on
glycemic control among type 2 diabetic patients attending University of Gondar
Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UOGCSH), Gondar, Northwestern Ethiopia.
Method: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study conducted from March 20 to May
1, 2018 on medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending
chronic follow up clinic of UOGCSH between March 2011 and April 2018. Descriptive
statistics was used to summarize socio-demographic and other clinical characteristics.
Further, a non-parametric test of Mann-Whitney U test and X
VII
2
test (or a Fisher’s exact)
were utilized to illustrate intergroup comparisons in the study. Kaplan-Meier and a logrank
test
was used to plot the survival analysis curve. Cox proportional hazards model
was instituted to examine the overall effect of statin use on glycemic control. A 5% level
of significance was used. All of the analyses were performed using SPSS version 20
(IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).
Result: A total of 390 patients were included in the final analysis (195 statin users and
195 statin non-users). Though not significant, the median last fasting blood glucose
(FBG) was found to be higher in statin users (by 11 mg/dl) compared to the non-users.
Likewise, median of the change in FBG (FBG at last minus initial) was 10 mg/dl in
statin users compared with -1 mg/dl in non-statin users. A difference of 11 mg/dl was
noted between median of the change in FBG of the two groups (P=0.013). Moreover,
statin users had a significantly shorter survival probability over time than non-statin
users (X
2
= 29.974; df = 1; P=0.000). Regarding the predictors, high intensity statin use
were significantly associated with poor glycemic control [AHR (95% CI) = 2.428
(1.191-4.951), P=0.015] compared to non-statin use.
Conclusion: The study concluded that statin therapy was associated with the rise of
FBG levels over time in T2DM patients and in particular, high intensity stains were
linked with poor glycemic control. Generally, the current study highly insist clinicians
not to stop statins but to be cognizant of this potential adverse association of statin use
on FBG/glycemic control and ensure close monitoring of blood glucose.
Keywords: Ethiopia, Glycemic control, Statins, T2DM, UOGCSH
