Statin use can heighten dry eye disease risk in hyperlipidemia patients

A new study explored the association between statin use and the risk of developing dry eye disease (DED) in hyperlipidemic patients.

This was a population-based retrospective cohort study that entailed data extraction from Taiwan's Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database. Patients newly diagnosed with hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups – statin users and nonusers. Individuals with prior DED diagnoses were excluded; all participants were followed for 5 years.

Overall, 41,931 individuals were included in each group after matching and adjusting for covariates. Cox proportional hazards regression models assessed the risk of DED, while conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate any dose-response relationship based on cumulative statin exposure.

It was noted that statin users had a slightly higher risk of developing DED compared to nonusers (p < 0.01). However, no significant dose-response relationship could be established between the statin dose (exposure) and DED risk.

From the results, it was inferred that statin use is associated with a marginally increased DED risk among hyperlipidemic patients––highlighting the need for regular eye exams in this population. While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, further studies are recommended to understand the potential clinical implications and underlying causes of this association.

Source: Wang YW, Liu SD, Lin GL, et al. Clin Transl Sci. 2024;17(10):e70039. doi:10.1111/cts.70039