Gender differences in mortality among statin users aged 80 years or more

Little is known about the prognosis associated with statin therapy and its gender differences in older adults aged ≥80 years.

To study the mortality and survival associated with statin therapy and their gender differences in older adults aged ≥80 years.

This was a historical prospective study conducted at a tertiary medical center. The medical charts of all older adults aged ≥80 years who had been admitted to a single internal medicine department during 1 year were reviewed. All-cause 3‑year mortality and survival rates following hospital admission in men and in women using statins were investigated.

The final cohort included 216 patients: 122 (56.5%) women, mean age 85.3 ± 3.9 years. Overall, 66 (53.2%) women and 58 (46.8%) men used statins for 3 years or more following hospital admission. During this time 48 (39.3%) women and 48 (51.1%) men died. The all-cause 3‑year mortality rates were significantly lower only in women who had used statins compared with women who had not used statins (24.2% vs. 57.1%; relative risk = 0.2; 95% confidence interval 0.1–0.5; p < 0.0001). The 3‑year cumulative survival rates were significantly higher in women who had used statins as part of primary as well as secondary cardiovascular prevention (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.014, respectively). A Cox regression analysis showed that statin therapy was independently associated with low 3‑year cumulative mortality rates in women (hazard ratio=0.3; 95% confidence interval=0.1–0.6; p = 0.001).

In older adults aged ≥80 years, statin therapy is associated with high 3‑year cumulative survival rates only in women.