Statins and venous leg ulcer healing: Secondary analysis of data from a cohort of three randomised controlled trials.

Adjuvants to compression are sought for treating venous ulceration. There is animal, observational and trial evidence that suggests statins increase venous ulcer healing. The objective of this study was to conduct secondary analyses investigating the association of statin use with healing in three randomised trials that recruited people with venous ulceration. The difference in healing rates was modest but higher in the statins group. Crude analyses found no significant difference between the groups, but when adjusted for the trial effect and potential confounders (age, diabetes, first ever ulcer, ulcer area and ulcer duration), significantly more participants healed among those taking statins. The analyses were robust to method of analysis (fixed effects or random effects models). A definitive trial is required to evaluate the effect of statins versus placebo on venous ulcer healing, but until then patients needing to take statins seem unlikely to be disadvantaged by this treatment.