The Impact of Statin Holiday in Dialysis Patients Over 70 Years Old on Mental Function, Physical Function and Frailty

Dialysis patients who are 70 years and older suffer from cognitive dysfunction, physical impairment, and frailty. Polypharmacy in this subgroup of patients is prevalent and can lead to drug toxicities and increased side effects which can contribute to adverse outcomes such as worsening cognitive decline and increased frailty. One frequent component of polypharmacy in dialysis patient population is the use of statins. The use of statins, however, has not been proven to be beneficial in this patient population. While statin medications have been shown to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in adults without dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD), the benefit of statin use in chronic dialysis patients has not been proven. A Cochrane meta-analysis published in 2013 included 25 trials of statin medications in patients receiving maintenance dialysis (total of 8289 patients) and found no benefit of statin medications for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events or mortality. The meta-analysis did note that evidence for side effects for statins was incomplete and potential harms from statin medications remain uncertain in this population. Furthermore, statins have recently come under scrutiny by the FDA with regards to their safety due to associations with memory loss and weakness. Previous clinical trials of statins only assessed the known adverse effects of statins such as abnormal liver function tests and acute kidney injury, adverse effects that occur rarely (\< 1%). Trials did not assess other side effects such as cognitive decline or muscle weakness that may be more common in older patients with kidney failure. The aim of this pilot study is to examine the potential side effects of statin medication use in older patients receiving dialysis by conducting a randomized pilot trial of a statin holiday (3 months of discontinuation) vs. no holiday and measuring changes in cognitive function, muscle strength, quality of life and frailty. The investigators hypothesize that measures of cognitive function, grip strength, quality of life and overall frailty will improve after 6 weeks of discontinuation of statins. After obtaining informed consent, patients will complete assessments of quality of life (SF-20), cognition, muscle strength and frailty at baseline and again at 6 and 12 weeks after statin holiday (intervention group) vs. no statin holiday (control group). All patients will resume statin medications after the 3 month trial. The overall goal is to determine whether changes in cognition, strength, frailty or quality of life can be measured using standard instruments. If changes can be detected, pilot data from this study will be used to design a larger trial.