Do Statins Have a Protective Effect Against Neuro-Autoimmune Disease and Comorbidity?

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective potential of statins (ST) against neuro-autoimmune disease (NAD) in patients, and risks of associated comorbidities. Background ST have been shown to provide neuroprotective benefits in patients with cardiovascular disease and related risk factors. However, the extent of neuroprotective potential of ST medications in patients with NAD has not been determined. Design/Methods A retrospective analysis on 34464 patients hospitalized at a tertiary care center in a major metropolitan area was conducted. 7527 patients were in the ST group, while 26937 patients were not taking any statins (nST). 190 patients had a NAD diagnosis and 10818 had diabetes mellitus (DM). 702 patients carried a diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy and/or diabetic retinopathy (DMNR). NAD patients were further categorized as those with or without ST medications (aST and anST). The outcomes compared included the prevalence of NAD, comorbidities, encephalopathy, and overall neurological complications. Results The prevalence of NAD was 0.39% and 0.60% in ST and nST, respectively (p < 0.05). 69% of aST and 27% of anST had DM (p < 0.00001). Patients in aST had a significantly higher amount of DMNR than those in anST (13.8%, 0.62%, p < 0.0001) and high risk comorbidity (45%, 15%, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between aST and anST in the prevalence of encephalopathy (10%, 6%, p > 0.05) and overall neurological complications (17%, 14%, p > 0.05). Conclusions These results suggest that patients taking ST may be associated with a lower risk of NAD with no increase in overall neurological complications during hospitalization. Despite these findings, ST may be associated with an increased burden of disease and higher prevalence of progressive neuropathy.