Evidence mapPaperPMID 37796384Full record

SynthesisCurrent atherosclerosis reports2023

Statin Use and Coronary Artery Calcification: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies and Randomized Controlled Trials.

Mitra Nekouei Shahraki, Soroush Mohammadi Jouabadi, Daniel Bos, Bruno H Stricker, Fariba Ahmadizar

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current atherosclerosis reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effect of osteoporosis medications on vascular and valvular calcification: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025
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  9. Rosuvastatin Is Associated With Incidental Dermal Calcification.The American Journal of dermatopathology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mitra Nekouei ShahrakiDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Soroush Mohammadi JouabadiDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Daniel BosDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Bruno H StrickerDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Fariba AhmadizarDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. f.ahmadizar@umcutrecht.nl.
Erasmus MC · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purpose of reviewThis review aimed to determine the association between statin use and coronary artery calcification (CAC), as detected by computed tomography in the general population, in previously published observational studies (OSs) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RECENT

findingsA systematic search until February 2022 identified 41 relevant studies, comprising 29 OSs and 12 RCTs. We employed six meta-analysis models, stratifying studies based on design and effect metrics. For cohort studies, the pooled β of the association with CAC quantified by the Agatston score was 0.11 (95% CI = 0.05; 0.16), with an average follow-up time per person (AFTP) of 3.68 years. Cross-sectional studies indicated a pooled odds ratio of 2.11 (95% CI = 1.61; 2.78) for the presence of CAC. In RCTs, the pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) for CAC, quantified by Agatston score or volume, over and AFTP of 1.25 years were not statistically significant (SMD =  - 0.06, 95% CI =  - 0.19; 0.06 and SMD = 0.26, 95% CI =  - 0.66; 1.19), but significantly different (p-value = 0.04). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses did not show any significant differences in pooled estimates across covariates. The effect of statins on CAC differs across study designs. OSs demonstrate associations between statin use and higher CAC scores and presence while being prone to confounding by indication. Effects from RCTs do not reach statistical significance and vary depending on the quantification method, hampering drawing conclusions. Further investigations are required to address the limitations inherent in each approach.

Indexed as

Coronary Artery DiseaseHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsVascular CalcificationCoronary VesselsHumansObservational Studies as TopicRisk FactorsHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsCoronary vesselsHMG-CoAHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitorsStatinsVascular calcification

Identifiers

PMID37796384
PMCPMC10618336
OpenAlexW4387375089

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.