Background: Evidence regarding whether statin use is associated with depression is inconsistent. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate this association.
Methods: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the EMBASE database, limiting the search to human patients and articles written in English and published by March 31, 2020. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies was used to assess study quality. All included studies were evaluated by 2 reviewers independently; any discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Because of the heterogeneity of study populations, a random effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect size. Statistical heterogeneity across studies was assessed using the I2 statistic. All analyses were performed using RevMan5 and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
Results: A total of 13 observational (9 cohort, 3 case-control, and 1 cross-sectional) studies conducted in 11 countries and enrolling 5 035 070 participants were included. Substantial statistical heterogeneity was discovered (I2, 83%). Overall, use of statins was not associated with depression after trim and fill analysis (adjusted pooled odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.74-1.02). The finding was consistent in the subgroup analysis, except for studies published before 2013, showing statin use was associated with a lower risk of depression.
Limitations: High heterogeneity and asymmetry funnel plot of ORs from these studies were observed.
Conclusions: This meta-analysis revealed statin use was not associated with depression. However, high heterogeneity was observed between identified studies, and results were inconsistent in the subgroups of studies published before 2013.
Keywords: cohort study; depression; meta-analysis; statin.
Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.