The Effect of Statin Therapy on Serum Uric Acid Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abolfazl Akbari; Mahya Razmi; Mahdi Rafiee; Gerald F Watts; Amirhossein Sahebkar

doi:10.2174/0929867330666230207124516

The Effect of Statin Therapy on Serum Uric Acid Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Curr Med Chem. 2024;31(13):1726-1739. doi: 10.2174/0929867330666230207124516.

Authors

Abolfazl Akbari¹, Mahya Razmi², Mahdi Rafiee¹, Gerald F Watts³, Amirhossein Sahebkar^{4

5

6

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Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
² Student Research Committee, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
³ Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Perth, Australia and Lipid Disorders Clinic, Cardiometabolic Services, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁴ Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁵ Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁶ School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁷ Department of Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

PMID: 36748810
DOI: 10.2174/0929867330666230207124516

Abstract

Background: Elevated concentrations of serum uric acid (SUA) are associated with several conditions, including cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to estimate the impact of statin therapy on SUA levels through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched on January 14, 2022, to identify eligible clinical trials. The intervention group received statins as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs, and the control group received non-statins or placebo. Studies reporting SUA levels before and after treatment were selected for further analysis. Finally, the data were pooled, and the mean changes in SUA, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides were reported.

Results: Out of 1269 identified studies, 23 were included in the review. A total of 3928 participants received statin therapy, and 1294 were included in control groups. We found a significant reduction in SUA levels following statin therapy (mean difference (MD) = -26.67 μmol/L with 95% confidence interval (CI) [-44.75, -8.60] (P =0.004)). Atorvastatin (MD = -37.93 μmol/L [-67.71, -8.15]; P < 0.0001), pravastatin (MD = -12.64 μmol/L [-18.64, -6.65]; P < 0.0001), and simvastatin (MD = -5.95 μmol/L [-6.14, -5.80]; P < 0.0001), but not rosuvastatin, were significantly associated with a reduction in SUA levels. An analysis comparing different types of statins showed that pravastatin 20-40 mg/day could significantly reduce SUA when compared to simvastatin 10-20 mg/day (-21.86 μmol/L [-36.33,-7.39]; P =0.003).

Conclusion: Statins were significantly associated with a decrease in SUA levels, particularly atorvastatin, which was found to be most effective in lowering SUA. Atorvastatin may be the most appropriate cholesterol-lowering agent for patients with or at risk of hyperuricemia.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; HMG-CoA reductase.; lipoprotein; serum uric acid; statin therapy; urate.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

Atorvastatin / therapeutic use
Humans
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* / therapeutic use
Uric Acid* / blood

Substances

Uric Acid
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Atorvastatin