The impact of statins on disease severity and quality of life in patients with psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune condition, imposes significant burdens on patients' well-being. While corticosteroid medications are commonly used, their prolonged use presents risks. Statins, known for their immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, have emerged as potential alternatives. Previous reviews indicated that statins might improve psoriasis symptoms but showed inconsistent results and lacked meta-analyses that generated pooled effect estimates. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of the impact of statins on psoriasis severity and quality of life (QoL) for patients with psoriasis.

Methods: A thorough search of four electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Science Direct) was conducted for relevant studies published before April 2024.

Results: Seven studies involving 369 patients were included. This meta-analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in PASI scores at week 8 with statin treatment (MD = -1.96, 95% CI [-3.14, -0.77], p = 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was found between statins and placebo at week 12 (MD = 0.19, 95% CI [-0.18, 0.55]). Additionally, DLQI scores indicated a significant improvement in quality of life with statins compared to placebo (MD = -3.16, 95% CI [-5.55, -0.77]).

Conclusions: Statins can improve disease severity and quality of life in psoriasis patients, suggesting the potential benefits of statin therapy. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment duration, address outcome heterogeneity, and explore additional benefits such as cholesterol and triglyceride reduction.