A team of researchers found a significant association between use of statins and a reduction in Clostridium difficile infection risk. They presented their findings at World Congress of Gastroenterology at ACG2017, Oct. 13 to Oct. 18 in Orlando, Fla.
The research team performed a literature search on MEDLINE and EMBASE, from their inception through May 2017. They included studies that reported odds ratios or relative risks comparing the risk of developing CDI and/or the clinical outcomes of CDI in patients who received statins treatment versus those who did not receive statins.
They examined 10 observational studies that included 37,109 patients.
Researchers found statins reduced the risk of CDI development compared to no treatment. However, among patients who developed CDI, the use of statins did not significantly reduce risk of recurrent CDI. The research also did not show a link between statins use and reduced CDI severity, when compared to no use of statins.