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Kidney Week

Abstract: FR-PO739

Effect of Statins on Life Prognosis in Japanese Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Session Information

Category: Dialysis

  • 701 Dialysis: Hemodialysis and Frequent Dialysis

Authors

  • Ota, Yuki, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Kitamura, Mineaki, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Muta, Kumiko, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Yamashita, Hiroshi, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Obata, Yoko, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Harada, Takashi, Nagasaki Renal Center, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Funakoshi, Satoshi, Nagasaki Renal Center, Nagasaki, Japan
  • Nishino, Tomoya, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
Background

Although large-scale studies have not proved the benefits of statin use in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis, recent studies suggest that statins could be useful to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in specific groups of patients undergoing hemodialysis. The aforementioned large-scale studies included a small percentage of Asians, and few studies have investigated the effects of statins in Asians undergoing dialysis. We investigated the benefits of statins in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at a large single center in Japan.

Methods

We obtained demographic, clinical, and hemodialysis data pertaining to all patients who underwent maintenance hemodialysis at the Nagasaki Renal Center between July 2011 and June 2012. Data were based on the patients’ birth month. Patients were followed-up until September 2017.

Results

We studied 339 patients among which 51 (15.0%) were prescribed statins. The mean duration of observation was 3.7±2.0 years, 43% were women, and the mean hemodialysis vintage was 90±96 months. During the follow-up, 194 patients (57%) died. Among those who died, 43% (n=23) had been prescribed statins and 61% (n=171) had not been prescribed statins. After propensity score matching based on age, gender, dialysis vintage and time, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, dry weight, left ventricular ejection fraction, and serum albumin, an intergroup comparison between those who received statins and those who did not (44 patients in each group) showed significant differences in the survival rate based on the log-rank test, P=0.03. Although causes of death did not differ between groups, there were fewer causes of death from cardiovascular events, infections, and cancer in the group prescribed statins.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that statins may improve life prognosis in Japanese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Although potential residual confounders could not be excluded, statins may have an effect in reducing cardiovascular events, infections, and cancer. Further studies are required to prove this hypothesis.