Impact of high-intensity statin therapy on glycemic control post-acute coronary syndrome using real-world data

Abstract Background Statins use has been linked with increased risk of new onset diabetes and impaired glycemic control in the JUPITER trial and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nevertheless, the evidence is scarce in the real-world clinical settings, particularly among those receiving high-intensity statin post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study to determine the impact of statin use post-ACS on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the incidence of diabetes. The study included adults admitted with ACS between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 and newly started on a high-intensity statin (rosuvastatin or atorvastatin). The outcomes assessed within 12 months of statin initiation were: (a) HbA1c before and after statin use among diabetic and non-diabetic patients; (b) incidence of diabetes. Paired sample t-test was used to compare HbA1c values pre and post statin use. Results Of the 1,253 patients included, 627 received rosuvastatin and 626 received atorvastatin following ACS. Most of the patients were Asian (77.3%), male (95.8%) with a median age of 51 years. The baseline HbA1c was 7.2±2.2% and 45% of the study population were diabetic at baseline. Among non-diabetic patients, statin use resulted in HbA1c increase from 5.7±0.7% to 6.0±0.8%, p<0.001, while among diabetic patients who were receiving treatment for diabetes, HbA1c decreased from 8.8±1.9% to 7.8±1.9%, p<0.001. New onset diabetes occurred in 41 (6%) of the non-diabetic patients, of whom 13 (1.9%) were receiving atorvastatin, while 28 (4.1%) were on rosuvastatin, p-value = 0.032. The use of both statins resulted in a significant increase of HbA1c among non-diabetic patients as demonstrated in Figure 1. Conclusion High intensity statin post-ACS was associated with increased HbA1c among non-diabetic patients. In particular, rosuvastatin significantly increased the new onset of diabetes compared to atorvastatin which might provide preference of atorvastatin use over rosuvastatin among non-diabetic patients post-acute coronary syndrome. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.