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Al-Janabi A, Sharief L, Al Qassimi N, Chen YH, Ding T, Ambler G, Ladas D, Lightman S, Tomkins-Netzer O. Can Simvastatin Reduce the Need for Immunomodulatory Drugs to Treat Uveitis?: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. OPHTHALMOLOGY SCIENCE 2023; 3:100333. [PMID: 37449048 PMCID: PMC10336795 DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2023.100333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Objective To assess the efficacy of simvastatin 80 mg/day versus placebo in patients with noninfectious nonanterior uveitis receiving prednisolone ≥ 10 mg/day. Design Randomized, double-masked, controlled trial. Subjects Adult patients with noninfectious nonanterior uveitis on oral prednisolone dose of ≥ 10 mg/day. Methods Patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive either simvastatin 80 mg/day or placebo. A total of 32 patients were enrolled (16 in each arm), all of whom completed the primary end point, and 21 reached the 2-year visit (secondary end points). Main Outcome Measures The primary end point was mean reduction in the daily prednisolone dose at 12 months follow-up. Secondary end points were mean reduction in prednisolone dose at 24 months, percent of patients with a reduction in second-line immunomodulatory agents, time to disease relapse, and adverse events. Results Our results show that simvastatin 80 mg/day did not have a significant corticosteroid-sparing effect at 12 months (estimate: 3.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -8.15 to 15.38; P = 0.54). There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to prednisolone dose or change in dose at 12 and 24 months. There was no difference between the 2 groups in percent of patients with reduction in second-line agent by 24 months. Among patients who achieved disease quiescence, the median time to first relapse was longer for those receiving simvastatin (38 weeks, 95% CI: 14-54) than placebo (14 weeks, 95% CI: 12-52), although this was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in adverse events or serious adverse events between the 2 groups. Conclusions Simvastatin 80 mg/day did not have an effect on the dose reduction of corticosteroids or conventional immunomodulatory drugs at 1 and 2 years. The results suggest that it may extend the time to disease relapse among those who achieve disease quiescence. Financial Disclosures The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Al-Janabi
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Lazha Sharief
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Noura Al Qassimi
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Yi-Hsing Chen
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Tao Ding
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gareth Ambler
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dimitris Ladas
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Sue Lightman
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Oren Tomkins-Netzer
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL/Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
- Department of Ophthalmology, Carmel Medical Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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Sobrin L, Yu Y, Han S, Susarla G, Kempen JH, Hubbard RA, VanderBeek BL. Decreased risk of non-infectious anterior uveitis with statin therapy in a large healthcare claims database. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2021; 259:2783-2793. [PMID: 34050812 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-021-05243-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to determine if statin therapy decreases the incidence of non-infectious uveitis (NIU) using a retrospective cohort study. METHODS Patients enrolled in a national insurance plan who initiated statin (n = 711,734, statin cohort) or other lipid-lowering therapy (n = 148,044, non-statin cohort) were observed for NIU development. Incident NIU in the primary analysis was defined as a new diagnosis code for NIU followed by a second instance of a NIU code within 120 days. For the secondary outcome definition, a corticosteroid prescription or code for an ocular corticosteroid injection within 120 days of the NIU diagnosis code was used instead of the second NIU diagnosis code. Estimation of NIU incidence used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. The proportional hazards assumption was satisfied by creating two time periods of analysis, ≤ 150 and > 150 days. Subanalyses were performed by anatomic subtype. RESULTS Overall, the primary outcome occurred 541 times over 690,465 person-years in the statin cohort and 103 times over 104,301 person-years in the non-statin cohort. No associations were seen in the ≤ 150-day analyses (p > 0.20 for all comparisons). However, after 150 days, the statin cohort was less likely to develop any uveitis [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51-0.97, P = 0.03] in the primary outcome analysis, but did not meet significance for the secondary outcome (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.15, P = 0.30). Similarly, in the anatomic subtype analysis, after 150 days, the statin cohort was less likely to develop anterior uveitis (HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.97, P = 0.03) in the primary analysis, but the association did not reach significance for the secondary outcome (HR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.56-1.20, P = 0.31). CONCLUSION Our results suggest that statin therapy for > 150 days decreases the incidence of NIU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Sobrin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Yinxi Yu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Samuel Han
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Gayatri Susarla
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - John H Kempen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,MyungSung Christian Medical Center (MCM) Eye Unit, MCM General Hospital and MyungSung Medical School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Rebecca A Hubbard
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brian L VanderBeek
- Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Ooi KGJ, Khoo P, Vaclavik V, Watson SL. Statins in ophthalmology. Surv Ophthalmol 2019; 64:401-432. [PMID: 30703407 DOI: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-gutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering drugs with anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and vascular effects. Statins are increasingly being used in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. We examine the actions of statins on the eye and its associated ophthalmic disorders. Statins can be synthetic or nonsynthetic, and their differentiating derivations may contribute to their varying cholesterol-lowering and pleiotropic effects. There is conflicting evidence on the ocular therapeutic and adverse effects of the statins. Statins may play a role in reducing the burden of dry eye, corneal ulcer scarring, thyroid-associated orbitopathy, glaucoma, uveitis and other associated ocular inflammatory states, cataract, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and choroidal melanoma. Topical preparations of statins can be formulated, thereby extending the range of ocular diseases that may be amenable to treatment. Statins have a relatively safe side effect profile, but rare and serious adverse reactions have been reported with their usage in ophthalmology, including myopathies and rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth G-J Ooi
- Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Pauline Khoo
- Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Veronika Vaclavik
- Jules Gonin Eye Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie L Watson
- Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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'Statins in retinal disease'. Eye (Lond) 2018; 32:981-991. [PMID: 29556012 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-018-0066-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Statins are known for their blood cholesterol-lowering effect and are widely used in patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Research over the past three decades shows that statins have diverse effects on different pathophysiological pathways involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, and anti-oxidation, leading to new therapeutic options. Recently, statins have attracted considerable attention for their immunomodulatory effect. Since immune reactivity has been implicated in a number of retinal diseases, such as uveitis, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, there is now a growing body of evidence supporting the beneficial effects of statins in these retinopathies. This review evaluates the relationship between statins and the pathophysiological basis of these diseases, focusing on their potential role in treatment. A PubMed database search and literature review was conducted. Among AMD patients, there is inconsistent evidence regarding protection against development of early AMD or delaying disease progression; though they have been found to reduce the risk of developing choroidal neovascular membranes (CNV). In patients with retinal vein occlusion, there was no evidence to support a therapeutic benefit or a protective role with statins. In patients with diabetic retinopathy, statins demonstrate a reduction in disease progression and improved resolution of diabetic macular oedema (DMO). Among patients with uveitis, statins have a protective effect by reducing the likelihood of uveitis development.
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Shirinsky IV, Biryukova AA, Shirinsky VS. Simvastatin as an Adjunct to Conventional Therapy of Non-infectious Uveitis: A Randomized, Open-Label Pilot Study. Curr Eye Res 2017; 42:1713-1718. [DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2017.1355468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan V. Shirinsky
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunopharmacology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Anastasia A. Biryukova
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunopharmacology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology, Novosibirsk, Russia
- S. N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex, Novosibirsk Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Valery S. Shirinsky
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunopharmacology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Borkar DS, Tham VM, Shen E, Parker JV, Uchida A, Vinoya AC, Acharya NR. Association between statin use and uveitis: results from the Pacific Ocular Inflammation study. Am J Ophthalmol 2015; 159:707-13. [PMID: 25597838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess whether there is a protective association between statin use and uveitis diagnosis. DESIGN Retrospective, population-based case-control study. METHODS Medical records of all patients in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii health plan between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007 (N = 217 061) were searched electronically for International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, diagnosis codes related to uveitis. Chart review was done to confirm incident uveitis diagnosis during the study period. Two control groups were each randomly selected at a 5:1 ratio to cases, and controls were assigned an index date to match their respective case diagnosis date. One control group was selected from the general Kaiser Permanente Hawaii population that had at least 1 healthcare visit during the study period. Another control group was selected from the population of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii members who had at least 1 visit to the ophthalmology clinic during the study period. Statin use was defined as filling a prescription for statin medication in the year prior to the diagnosis or index date based on an electronic search of the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii pharmacy database for Generic Product Identification codes. A conditional logistic regression model with clinical diagnosis of uveitis as the outcome was used to assess the relationship between statin use and uveitis. RESULTS One hundred eight incident cases of uveitis were identified. Nineteen percent of uveitis patients had used statin medication in the year prior to diagnosis compared to 30% of patients in the general Kaiser population control (P = .03) and 38% of patients in the ophthalmology clinic control (P < .001). Using the general Kaiser population control and adjusting for age, sex, race, and autoimmune diseases, the odds of a statin user developing uveitis were 48% less than the odds of a non-statin user developing uveitis (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.29-0.94, P = .03). Similarly, the odds of developing uveitis were 33% less for statin users compared to non-statin users (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.38-1.19, P = .17) when adjusting for these factors and using the ophthalmology clinic control group. CONCLUSIONS Statin use may be protective against the development of uveitis. Several anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mechanisms may explain this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Durga S Borkar
- F.I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Vivien M Tham
- Department of Ophthalmology, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii; Pacific Vision Institute of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Elizabeth Shen
- F.I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - John V Parker
- Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Aileen Uchida
- Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Aleli C Vinoya
- Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Nisha R Acharya
- F.I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
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