Effects of statins on lipid profile of kidney transplant recipients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective To assess the benefits of statins on lipid profile in kidney transplant recipients via a meta-analysis. Methods We systematically identified peer-reviewed clinical trials, review articles, and treatment guidelines from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), SinoMed (CBM), and Chongqing VIP databases from inception to April 2019. In the analysis, only randomized controlled clinical trials performed in human were included. Results Eight articles were included in the analysis, involving 335 kidney transplant recipients who received statins and 350 kidney transplant patients as the control group. Results revealed that statins improved the lipid profile of kidney transplant recipients. Specifically, statin therapy significantly reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, it had no effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Conclusions The present study provides valuable knowledge on the potential benefits of statins in kidney transplant recipients. This meta-analysis shows that statin therapy modifies the lipid profile in this patient population.