To examine the association between the use of statins and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus 
A population-based cohort study using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
All patients aged 40 years or older who had at least one prescription of statins during the period 1995-2009 were selected and matched by age, sex, practice and date of first prescription to non-users. The follow-up period of statin users was divided into periods of current, recent and past exposure, with patients moving among these three exposure categories over time. Current statin users were also stratified into ≤1 year or >1 year of use.
Time-dependent Cox models were used to calculate HRs of SLE, adjusted for disease history and previous drug exposure.
We included 1 039 694 patients, of whom 519 847 were statin users. Current statin users did not have an increased risk of developing SLE among patients aged ≥40 years (HR
Our findings showed no effect of statins on the risk of developing SLE among patients aged ≥40 years. Further research is needed to study the long-term effects of statins on SLE.