Statin impact on disease activity and C-reactive protein concentrations in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials

Background and purpose: Efficacy and safety of statin therapy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether statin therapy affects SLE disease activity and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP) according to the evidence from controlled clinical trials. Experimental approach: A systematic review followed by a bibliographic search in Medline and SCOPUS (up to March 2015) was performed. Quantitative data synthesis was performed using a random-effects model and the generic inverse variance weighting method. Effect sizes were expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Key results: Meta-analysis of five controlled trials reporting statin impact on SLE disease activity did not suggest any significant effect of statin therapy on SLEDAI. Evaluation of seven controlled trials with reported effects on CRP levels suggested a significant reduction of plasma CRP concentrations in patients with SLE independent of the treatment duration. The effect size on plasma CRP concentrations was significant with lipophilic (atorvastatin) but not hydrophilic (pravastatin and rosuvastatin) statins. Conclusion and implications: The present results suggest that statin therapy is likely to be safe in patients with SLE. In addition, statin-treated SLE patients may benefit from CRP reduction in terms of managing severe cardiovascular complications associated with the disease.