Statins are lipid-lowering medications used for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the pleiotropic effects of statins might be beneficial in other chronic diseases. This meta-analysis investigated the association between statin use and mortality in different chronic conditions. Eligible studies were real-world studies that compared all-cause mortality over at least 12 months between propensity score-matched statin users and non-users. Overall, 54 studies were included: 21 in CVD, 6 in chronic kidney disease, 6 in chronic inflammatory diseases, 3 in cancer, and 18 in other diseases. The risk of all-cause mortality was significantly reduced in statin users (hazard ratio: 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.66–0.76). The reduction in mortality risk was similar in CVD studies (0.73, 0.66–0.76) and non-CVD studies (0.70, 0.67–0.79). There were no significant differences in the risk reduction between cohorts with different diseases (p = 0.179). The greatest mortality reduction was seen in studies from Asia (0.61, 0.61–0.73) and the lowest in studies from North America (0.78, 0.73–0.83) and Australia (0.78, 0.62–0.97). There was a significant heterogeneity (I2 = 95%, tau2 = 0.029, p < 0.01). In conclusion, statin use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality in real-world cohorts with CVD and non-CVD.

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, diagnosed by calculating body mass index (BMI). Methods: To find an association between BMI and mortality in adults, we searched PubMed for articles published in the 21st century. Our review included 82 original studies, comprising 2.7 million patients and 23.4 million patient years. Results: The meta-analysis showed a U-shaped relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality risk, with the lowest mortality in the BMI range of 25–30 kg/m². Subgroup analysis showed a J-shaped relationship, with greater risk in the highest BMI range (>35 kg/m²). Among the elderly, BMI values <20 kg/m² were associated with the highest risk. Among diabetic patients, a U-shaped relationship was noticed, again with the highest risk in the lowest (35 kg/m²). Among patients with cardiovascular disease, the risk increased with BMI values 35 kg/m²). Conclusions: Our results show that the lowest mortality is observed among patients with BMI 25–30 kg/m². Reduction of body mass should not be a universal recommendation in clinical practice, but it should be individualized.