Research Progress on the Impact of Blood Lipids on Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy and the Application of Statins

Corresponding author: Long Jian, pudding1977@163.com

DOI: 10.12201/bmr.202605.00045

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  Abstract: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is the most common extrathyroidal autoimmune manifestation of Graves disease (GD), involving genetic, autoimmune, and environmental factors, with clinical features such as periorbital inflammation, proptosis, and diplopia. Recent studies have identified hyperlipidemia as a significant risk factor for TAO, where serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are closely associated with disease onset, activity (e.g., Clinical Activity Score), and response to glucocorticoid therapy. Statins, as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, exert therapeutic effects not only by reducing LDL-C to improve lipid metabolism but also through non-cholesterol-dependent pleiotropic actions, including regulating immune cell function, inhibiting orbital fibroblast fibrosis and adipogenesis, modulating apoptosis and autophagy, and enhancing glucocorticoid responsiveness. Clinical evidence confirms that statins can reduce TAO incidence, improve treatment response rates, and decrease recurrence. This article reviews the association between TAO and blood lipids, as well as the mechanisms of statins in TAO, providing new insights for individualized TAO management.

  Key words: Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy; Hyperlipidemias; Statins

  Submit time: 11 May 2026

  Copyright: The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted biomedRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.
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