Introduction: Statins have pleiotropic anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, but the effect of statin use on asthmarelated emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions has remained unclear, especially in Asian populations. Objectives: The aim of our study was to examine the effect of statin therapy on asthma-related ED visits and hospital admissions using a large nationwide population-based cohort. Results: There were 1946 asthma-related ED visits and hospital admissions in this study. The incidence rate of asthma-related ED visits and hospital admissions among statin users was 10.8 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval (CI): 11.4-11.3). Statin users were associated with a reduced risk of asthma-related ED visits or hospital admissions (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.71; 95%CI: 0.620.92) compared to non-statin users. In addition, the risk of asthmarelated ED visits and hospital admissions was decreased among those with a higher cumulative defined daily dose (DDD), greater average DDD and longer cumulative-day users than the counterparts. Conclusions: Statin use is associated with decreased risk of asthma-related ED visits and/or hospital admissions in individuals with asthma. Further investigations on underlying regulatory mechanisms will be merited.
