STATIN INITIATION TIME AFTER GRAVES' DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND THE RISK OF GRAVES' ORBITOPATHY: A ONE-YEAR LANDMARK ANALYSIS
Author(s)
Minsung Kim, BS1, Hae Sun Suh, MA, MS, PhD2;
1Kyung Hee University, Department of Regulatory Science, Graduate School, Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 2Kyung Hee University, College of Pharmacy, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
1Kyung Hee University, Department of Regulatory Science, Graduate School, Seoul, Korea, Republic of, 2Kyung Hee University, College of Pharmacy, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
OBJECTIVES: Several observational studies have suggested an association between statin use and a reduced risk of Graves’ orbitopathy (GO). This study aimed to evaluate the association between early statin initiation after Graves’ disease (GD) diagnosis and subsequent risk of GO using nationwide claims data from South Korea.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea from January 2018 to June 2024. Patients with newly diagnosed GD who initiated statin after diagnosis were included. A 1-year landmark analysis was conducted and patients who developed GO before the landmark were excluded. Patients were classified according to statin initiation time after GD diagnosis: the early group was defined as statin initiation within 1 year after GD diagnosis, whereas the late group was defined as statin initiation thereafter. GO was identified based on at least one claim with the ICD-10 diagnosis code H06.2. The risk of GO was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age and sex. The proportional hazards assumption was assessed using Schoenfeld residuals.
RESULTS: A total of 33,853 patients who initiated statin therapy after GD diagnosis were included, with a mean age of 55.2 ± 11.6 years. Of these patients, 11,230 (33.2%) were classified into the early initiation group and 22,623 (66.8%) into the late initiation group. During follow-up after the landmark, 423 patients developed GO. Early statin initiation was associated with a significantly lower risk of GO (Adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.86).
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, statin initiation within the first year after GD diagnosis was associated with a lower subsequent risk of GO. These findings suggest potential clinical relevance of earlier statin use in patients with GD.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea from January 2018 to June 2024. Patients with newly diagnosed GD who initiated statin after diagnosis were included. A 1-year landmark analysis was conducted and patients who developed GO before the landmark were excluded. Patients were classified according to statin initiation time after GD diagnosis: the early group was defined as statin initiation within 1 year after GD diagnosis, whereas the late group was defined as statin initiation thereafter. GO was identified based on at least one claim with the ICD-10 diagnosis code H06.2. The risk of GO was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age and sex. The proportional hazards assumption was assessed using Schoenfeld residuals.
RESULTS: A total of 33,853 patients who initiated statin therapy after GD diagnosis were included, with a mean age of 55.2 ± 11.6 years. Of these patients, 11,230 (33.2%) were classified into the early initiation group and 22,623 (66.8%) into the late initiation group. During follow-up after the landmark, 423 patients developed GO. Early statin initiation was associated with a significantly lower risk of GO (Adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.86).
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, statin initiation within the first year after GD diagnosis was associated with a lower subsequent risk of GO. These findings suggest potential clinical relevance of earlier statin use in patients with GD.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EPH94
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Safety & Pharmacoepidemiology
Disease
SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity), SDC: Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)