Relation of statin therapy to psychological functioning in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Statin therapy is an important secondary prevention measure in cardiovascular disease. However, the side effects associated with statin use could potentially affect patients' quality of life. Little is known about the influence of statin therapy on the well-being and health status of cardiac patients, in general, and patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), in particular. We investigated the association between statin therapy and symptoms of anxiety and depression and patients' health status during the 12 months after implantation, reckoning with statin type and dosage. Consecutively implanted ICD patients (n = 409; 78.2% men) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Health Survey at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation. The data were analyzed using general linear mixed modeling repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance. Of the 409 patients, 60% were prescribed statins. Statin use was independently associated with poorer role limitations-physical (p = 0.001), social functioning (p = 0.007), and role limitations-emotional (p = 0.006) during the 12 months after implantation, independent of statin type, dosage, and other potential confounders. The associations between statin therapy and depression (p = 0.06) and statin therapy and physical functioning (p = 0.05) were borderline significant, and no association was found with anxiety (p >0.05). In conclusion, statin therapy was associated with impaired health status on 3 of the 8 Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Health Survey health status subdomains. This is the first study of ICD patients to examine the association between statin therapy and patient well-being. Future research is warranted to replicate these findings.

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