Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40034089›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2025

Statin Use and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Survival: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Anders Myhre Vaage, Trygve Holmøy, Jesper Dahl, Hein Stigum, Haakon E Meyer, Ola Nakken

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
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

6 authors.

Anders Myhre VaageDepartment of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-4995-7722
Trygve HolmøyDepartment of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-2529-5664
Jesper DahlDepartment of Infection Control and Vaccines, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-0369-9393
Hein StigumDepartment of Community Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Haakon E MeyerDepartment of Community Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-3262-8260
Ola NakkenDepartment of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-4765-0636

Funding

ALS NorwayHelse Sør-Øst RHF 2022050
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDyslipidemia is common in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Statin use has been associated with both favorable and poor prognoses. We assessed whether statin use affects ALS survival.

methodsWe linked four Norwegian health surveys (1972-2003) with mandatory national registries to obtain information on premorbid health, ALS diagnosis, and death. Using the Norwegian Prescribed Drug Registry, we identified participants who had dispensed statins pre- and post-diagnosis. We first compared pre-diagnosis statin discontinuation rates between ALS patients and matched controls. Flexible parametric models were then fitted to estimate the relationship between statin use and survival time in ALS, using restricted mean survival time and hazard ratio (HR) as effect measures.

resultsA total of 524 patients (43% female) with ALS were included. Mean time from ALS diagnosis to death or end of study was 2.0 (SD 2.1) years. A substantial proportion of statin users (21%) discontinued statins during the year leading up to diagnosis. This group was characterized by poorer ALS prognosis compared to those adhering to statins and were included as statin users in our analysis. After adjusting for sex, age, birth year, riluzole use and premorbid smoking status, body mass index, and total cholesterol levels, statin use was not associated with ALS survival. The estimated mean survival difference comparing statin users to non-users was 0.74 (95% CI -5.98 to 7.47) months, corresponding to a HR of 0.97 (95% CI 0.77-1.23).

conclusionStatin use was not associated with ALS survival, suggesting that statins should not routinely be discontinued in ALS.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNorwayRegistriesHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitorsamyotrophic lateral sclerosiscohort studieshydroxymethylglutaryl‐CoA reductase inhibitorsstatinssurvival

Identifiers

PMID40034089
PMCPMC11876845

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.