S2820 Comprehensive Evaluation of Effect of Statins on Hepatic Decompensation in the Settings of Liver Cirrhosis—Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Decompensated cirrhosis is defined as an acute deterioration in liver function in a patient with cirrhosis and is characterized by jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome or variceal hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis in order to evaluate the effect of statins on hepatic decompensation in the settings of liver cirrhosis. Methods: Seven databases were searched to find relevant papers. The quality assessment of observational studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS) tool. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 3 (Biostat Inc., USA) software was used to conduct the statistical analysis. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated for hepatic decompensation using random effects. Results: This meta-analysis included 7 studies. Overall, the scores of included studies ranged from 5 to 7 stars. Indeed, 5 were assessed to be of good quality, while 2 articles were of fair quality. The forest plot revealed that statin treatment was associated with a significant reduction in hepatic decompensation (HR: 0,536; 95% CI: 0,365 to 0,785; P = 0,001). Interestingly, a high heterogeneity was detected across studies: Chi2 = 119,08, P = 0,000, I2 = 94%. Conclusion: Our results confirm the beneficial effect of statins in reducing the risk of hepatic decompensation. This result requires validation by conducting further studies with a larger sample size.