178
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Research

Statin use and risk of cholecystectomy – A case-control analysis using Swiss claims data

, , &
Pages 1577-1582 | Received 28 Apr 2016, Accepted 21 Sep 2016, Published online: 06 Oct 2016
 

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Using claims data from the Helsana Group, a large Swiss health insurance provider, we examined the association between statin use and the risk of cholecystectomy in a case-control analysis.

Methods: We identified 2,200 cholecystectomy cases between 2013 and 2014 and matched 4 controls to each case on age, sex, index date and canton. We categorized statin users into current or past users (last prescription ≤ 180 or > 180 days before the index date, respectively) and classified medication use by duration based on number of prescriptions before the index date. We applied conditional logistic regression analyses to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted the analyses for history of cardiovascular diseases and for use of estrogens, fibrates and other lipid-lowering agents.

Results: The adjusted OR (aOR) for cholecystectomy was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.99) for current statin users compared to non-users. Long-term current statin use (5–19 prescriptions) was associated with a reduced OR (aOR 0.77, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.92). However, neither short-term current use nor past statin use affected the risk of cholecystectomy.

Conclusions: The study supports the previously raised hypothesis that long-term statin use reduces the risk of cholecystectomy.

Declaration of interest

Oliver Reich is Director of the Department of Health Sciences at the Helsana Group. The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties

Additional information

Funding

This project was partially funded by Helsana Insurance Group.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.