Statin use and knee osteoarthritis progression: Results from a post-hoc analysis of the SEKOIA trial

• Published in: Joint, bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme, 2018-10, Vol.85 (5), p.609-614
• Main Authors: Eymard, Florent, Parsons, Camille, Edwards, Mark H., Petit-Dop, Florence, Reginster, Jean-Yves, Bruyère, Olivier, Chevalier, Xavier, Cooper, Cyrus, Richette, Pascal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Disease Progression; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Drug Administration Schedule; Dyslipidemia; Female; Follow-Up Studies; France; General & internal medicine; Human health sciences; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - administration & dosage; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - adverse effects; Internationality; Knee osteoarthritis; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Médecine générale & interne; Osteoarthritis, Knee - diagnostic imaging; Osteoarthritis, Knee - physiopathology; Public health, health care sciences & services; Radiography - methods; Radiological progression; Reference Values; Risk Assessment; Santé publique, services médicaux & soins de santé; Sciences de la santé humaine; Severity of Illness Index; Statin
• ISSN: 1297-319X; 1778-7254; 1778-7254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2017.09.014

Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that lipid disorders might be involved in the pathophysiology of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Studies assessing the effect of statins on knee OA progression have shown conflicting results. We investigated the impact of statin use on radiological progression in patients with radiological and symptomatic knee OA. In total, 336 patients from the placebo arm of SEKOIA trial completed the 3-year follow-up and were included in this post-hoc analysis. Statin use was recorded at baseline interview. Minimal medial tibiofemoral joint space was measured on plain radiographs by an automated method at baseline and then annually. Radiologic progression was defined as joint space narrowing≥0.5mm over 3 years. Overall, 71 patients were statin users (21.1%). They had a higher BMI (31.1±5.3 vs. 29.3±5.2kg/m2, P=0.008), a higher sum of metabolic factors (≥3 factors: 43.7% vs 7.2%; P for trend30kg/m2) and cardiovascular diseases [relative risk 1.49 (95% CI: 1.10–2.02), P=0.010]. Among patients with knee OA, statin use was associated with radiological worsening over 3 years, regardless of other potential confounding factors (obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, disease duration, symptom intensity and radiological severity).