The Effects of Statins on Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Fibrosis in COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Multicenter Study

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Date
2023-02-28Author
Sadeghdoust, Mohammadamin
Aligolighasemabadi, Farnaz
Dehesh, Tania
Taefehshokr, Nima
Sadeghdoust, Adel
Kotfis, Katarzyna
Hashemiattar, Amirhossein
Ravandi, Amir
Aligolighasemabadi, Neda
Vakili, Omid
Grabarek, Beniamin
Staszkiewicz, Rafał
Łos, Marek J.
Mokarram, Pooneh
Ghavami, Saeid
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Abstract
The aim of this prospective cohort study was to explore the effect of statins on long-term respiratory symptoms and pulmonary fibrosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Patients were recruited from three tertiary hospitals, categorized into Statin or Non-statin groups, and assessed on days 0, 28, and 90 after symptoms onset to record the duration of symptoms. Pulmonary fibrosis was scored at baseline and follow-up time points by high-resolution computed tomography scans. Each group comprised 176 patients after propensity score matching. Data analysis revealed that the odds of having cough and dyspnea were significantly higher in the Non-statin group compared to the Statin group during the follow-up period. Overall, there was no significant difference in the change in pulmonary fibrosis score between groups. However, Non-statin patients with > 5 years of DM were more likely to exhibit a significantly higher fibrosis score during the follow-up period as compared to their peers in the Statin group. Our results suggest that the use of statins is associated with a lower risk of developing chronic cough and dyspnea in diabetic patients with COVID-19, and may reduce pulmonary fibrosis associated with COVID-19 in patients with long-term (> 5 years) DM.
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