Dyslipidaemia and mortality in COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis

Background: The prevalence and prognostic implications of pre-existing dyslipidaemia in patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. Aim: To assess the prevalence and mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing dyslipidaemia. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines were followed in abstracting data and assessing validity. We searched MEDLINE and Scopus to locate all the articles published up to 31 January 2021, reporting data on dyslipidaemia among COVID-19 survivors and non-survivors. The pooled prevalence of dyslipidaemia was calculated using a random-effects model and presenting the related 95% confidence interval (CI), while the mortality risk was estimated using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effect models with odds ratio (OR) and related 95% CI. Statistical heterogeneity was measured using the Higgins 12 statistic. Results: Of about 18 studies, enrolling 74 132 COVID-19 patients (mean age 70.6 years), met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The pooled prevalence of dyslipidaemia was 17.5% of cases (95% CI: 12.3-24.3%, P < 0.0001), with high heterogeneity (I-2 = 98.7%). Pre-existing dyslipidaemia was significantly associated with higher risk of short-term death (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.19-2.41, P = 0.003), with high heterogeneity (I-2 = 88.7%). Due to publication bias, according to the Trim-and-Fill method, the corrected random-effect ORs resulted 1.61, 95% CI 1.13-2.28, P < 0.0001 (one studies trimmed). Conclusion: Dyslipidaemia represents a major comorbidity in about 18% of COVID-19 patients but it is associated with a 60% increase of short-term mortality risk.