Statins and Pulmonary Hypertension in Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a chronic multisystem disease with a considerable burden. One of its most common complications is pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). It has been demonstrated that the development of PAH is correlated with decreased quality of life and survival. Different medications have been proposed for the treatment of PAH, among which one can name statins. However, the same as other medications for the treatment of PAH, statins are still providing controversial results across different study settings. Moreover, the effect of statins on PAH in COPD patients has not been widely investigated so far. According to the present review, most of the available clinical trials demonstrated that the utilization of statins, including pravastatin, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin may have beneficial effects on PAH in COPD patients. Nonetheless, it is necessary to conduct clinical trials with longer follow-up duration