Effect of Pitavastatin Compared with Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin on New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Although statin use in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is mandatory, it has been suggested to be associated with new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM). In real world practice, moderate-intensity statin therapy is more commonly used than high-intensity statin therapy. In this study, we investigated the impact of moderate-intensity pitavastatin (2 to 4 mg) compared with moderate-intensity atorvastatin (10 to 20 mg) and rosuvastatin (5 to 10 mg) on the development of NODM during a follow-up period of up to 3 years. Between November 2011 and May 2015, 2001 patients with AMI who did not have diabetes mellitus were investigated. The cumulative incidence of NODM was evaluated in all groups. To adjust for potential confounders, multinomial propensity scores were used. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the hazard ratio of NODM in the atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups compared with pitavastatin group. The cumulative incidence of NODM was significantly lower in pitavastatin group compared with the atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups (3.0% vs 8.4% vs 10.4%, respectively; Log-rank p value = 0.001). After weighting the baseline characteristics of the 3 statin groups by multinomial propensity scores, atorvastatin (hazard ratio: 2.615, 95% confidence interval: 1.163 to 5.879) and rosuvastatin (hazard ratio: 3.906, 95% confidence interval: 1.756 to 8.688) were found to be associated with a higher incidence of NODM compared with pitavastatin therapy on multivariable analysis. Moderate-intensity pitavastatin therapy is associated with a lower incidence of NODM in patients with AMI and has similar clinical outcomes to moderate-intensity atorvastatin and rosuvastatin therapy.