Analyzing the Association Between Statin Use and New Onset Diabetes in the US: A Retrospective Analysis Using Integrated EHR and Claims Data
Author(s)
Shikha Anand, MBBS1, Rajesh Ganguly, MBA1, Mohini Rastogi, MSc2, Ankita Gupta, MSc1, Ankita Bhagat, MS1, Vikash Kumar Verma, MBA, PharmD1, Abhinav Nayyar, MBBS, MBA1, Ina Kukreja, MBA, PT1, Abhimanyu Roy, MBA1, Arunima Sachdev, MA1, Marissa Seligman, BS Pharma3, Louis Brooks Jr, MA4, Rahul Goyal, BS Tech5.
1Optum, Gurgaon, India, 2Optum, Noida, India, 3Optum, Boston, MA, USA, 4Optum, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA, 5Optum, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
1Optum, Gurgaon, India, 2Optum, Noida, India, 3Optum, Boston, MA, USA, 4Optum, Bloomsbury, NJ, USA, 5Optum, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to analyze real-world data and investigate the potential association between statin use and the onset of new diabetes.
METHODS: Optum de-identified Market Clarity data was used for this study. Incident hypercholesterolemia patients were identified using ICD-10 codes between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. Inclusion criteria included patients aged 18 years and above with at least two claims or electronic health records (EHR) of hypercholesterolemia separated by 30 days. Exclusion criteria included preexisting diabetes, use of other lipid-lowering drugs, and preexisting chronic conditions (CCI index =0). The index event was defined as the first statin prescription within 30 days of hypercholesterolemia diagnosis. Continuous eligibility claims for statins were observed for 3 years post-index. Cohorts of patients on statins and those not on any treatment were matched in a 1:2 ratio using PSM.
RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 370,151 hypercholesterolemia patients. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 149,793 patients were eligible for analysis. Among them, 50,667 were on statin therapy, while 99,126 were not on any medications. In the post-index period, 10,847 patients were diagnosed with diabetes, and 138,946 patients were not diagnosed with diabetes. Among those diagnosed with diabetes, 3,762 were on statins. Atorvastatin was the most commonly used statin (2,092 patients), followed by rosuvastatin (685 patients) and simvastatin (560 patients). Lovastatin, Pitavastatin, and Fluvastatin had the lowest incidence of new-onset diabetes. The diagnosis of new-onset diabetes occurred after more than 300 days of starting statin therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides real-world evidence of association between statin use and new onset diabetes. Future research employing natural language processing (NLP) to identify pre-existing deranged blood glucose levels in patients diagnosed with diabetes to enhance our understanding of this relationship.
METHODS: Optum de-identified Market Clarity data was used for this study. Incident hypercholesterolemia patients were identified using ICD-10 codes between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. Inclusion criteria included patients aged 18 years and above with at least two claims or electronic health records (EHR) of hypercholesterolemia separated by 30 days. Exclusion criteria included preexisting diabetes, use of other lipid-lowering drugs, and preexisting chronic conditions (CCI index =0). The index event was defined as the first statin prescription within 30 days of hypercholesterolemia diagnosis. Continuous eligibility claims for statins were observed for 3 years post-index. Cohorts of patients on statins and those not on any treatment were matched in a 1:2 ratio using PSM.
RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 370,151 hypercholesterolemia patients. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 149,793 patients were eligible for analysis. Among them, 50,667 were on statin therapy, while 99,126 were not on any medications. In the post-index period, 10,847 patients were diagnosed with diabetes, and 138,946 patients were not diagnosed with diabetes. Among those diagnosed with diabetes, 3,762 were on statins. Atorvastatin was the most commonly used statin (2,092 patients), followed by rosuvastatin (685 patients) and simvastatin (560 patients). Lovastatin, Pitavastatin, and Fluvastatin had the lowest incidence of new-onset diabetes. The diagnosis of new-onset diabetes occurred after more than 300 days of starting statin therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides real-world evidence of association between statin use and new onset diabetes. Future research employing natural language processing (NLP) to identify pre-existing deranged blood glucose levels in patients diagnosed with diabetes to enhance our understanding of this relationship.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
CO48
Topic
Clinical Outcomes
Topic Subcategory
Relating Intermediate to Long-term Outcomes
Disease
SDC: Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory), SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)