Key result
High-intensity statins post-ACS are linked to a ~352% higher likelihood of physical activity versus non-use.
Why the study?
The study evaluated whether the intensity of statin therapy is associated with physical activity levels 1 year after an acute coronary syndrome.
Does high-intensity or low/moderate-intensity statin therapy reduce self-reported physical activity in patients 1 year after acute coronary syndrome?
Cohort (n=2,274)
Yes
Does high-intensity or low/moderate-intensity statin therapy reduce self-reported physical activity in patients 1 year after acute coronary syndrome?
Effect estimate: OR 4.52 (95% CI 1.68-12.20)
Statin therapy, regardless of intensity, is not associated with reduced physical activity 1 year after acute coronary syndrome, alleviating concerns about statin-induced physical impairment.
May alleviate activity concerns with statins post-ACS; leaves open confirmation in randomized trials.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between the intensity of statin therapy and the level of physical activity in patients 1 year after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from the Special Program University Medicine-Acute Coronary Syndromes. SETTING: Four university hospital centres in Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: 2274 patients with a main diagnosis of ACS between 2009 and 2017 who were available for a 1-year follow-up visit 1 year after hospital discharge. OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported physical activity was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The level of physical activity in metabolic equivalent-minutes per week (MET-min/week) was first stratified into sedentary and physically active categories and then analysed continuously among physically active patients. Analyses were performed using a propensity score weighting approach. RESULTS: One year after ACS, 1222 (53.7%) patients were on high-intensity statin therapy, 890 (39.1%) were on low/moderate-intensity statin therapy and 162 (7.1%) were not on statin therapy. Compared with non-statin users, low-/moderate-intensity statin users and high-intensity statin users were more likely to be physically active than sedentary, with a fully adjusted OR of 2.86 (95% CI 1.12 to 7.26) and 4.52 (95% CI 1.68 to 12.20), respectively. Among physically active patients, physical activity level was similar across all statin user categories, with median levels of 2792.5, 2712.0 and 2839.5 MET-min/week in non-statin, moderate/low-statin and high-statin users, respectively (p=0.307). CONCLUSIONS: One year after ACS, neither low-/moderate-intensity nor high-intensity statin uses were associated with reduced self-reported physical activity compared with non-statin use. The concern that statin therapy may impair physical activity among ACS patients was not confirmed in this study.
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Boudon et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Acute coronary syndrome (n=2,274). Statin therapy vs. No statin therapy was evaluated on Self-reported physical activity (physically active vs sedentary) (OR 4.52, 95% CI 1.68-12.20). High-intensity statin therapy 1 year after ACS did not impair physical activity and was associated with a higher likelihood of being physically active versus non-use (OR 4.52; 95% CI 1.68-12.20).
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