Statin use and lower extremity amputation risk in nonelderly diabetic patients

This is the first study to report a significant association between statin use and diminished amputation risk among patients with diabetes. In this nonrandomized cohort, beneficial effects of statin therapy were similar to that seen in large-scale clinical trial experience. For LEA risk, those given nonstatins did not have a statistically significant benefit and its effect on LEA risk was much smaller compared with statins. Unanswered questions to be explored in future studies include a comparison of statins of moderate vs high potency in those with high risk of coronary heart disease and an exploration of whether the effects seen in this study are simply effects of cholesterol-lowering or possibly pleiotropic effects.