- A large meta-analysis has found that using statins is not associated with an increased risk for the vast majority of their listed side effects.
- These listed side effects include memory loss, dementia, depression, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.
- While statins use was associated with a small increase in risk of liver blood test abnormalities, there was no corresponding increase in liver disease risk.
A landmark study published in
Statins are a group of medications that doctors typically prescribe to lower cholesterol levels.
These drugs prevent a particular liver enzyme from helping to produce cholesterol. In doing so, they can reduce the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body, which people sometimes refer to as “bad” cholesterol, as well as fats in the blood.
People tend to use statins if they have high levels of LDL cholesterol or if they are at an
Although statins are effective and often life-saving, they come with a list of potential side effects, including short-term memory loss, weight gain, and depression symptoms. that might make some people wary of using them.
“Concerns about the safety of statins have deterred many people who are at risk of severe disability or death from a heart attack or stroke,” explained lead author Christina Reith, PhD, FRCP, FFPM, an associate professor in the Medical Sciences Division at Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, in a press release.
According to the authors of the current study, some previous research had suggested that statins cause side effects in around a fifth of people using them, which may have coincided with some patients stopping using them to prevent cardiovascular disease.
This new research disputes this, and could provide welcome news for a population having to make significant decisions around their future health.
“Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins,” said Reith.
For the study the authors set out to analyze data from a total of 19 double-blind randomized controlled trials that compared statins use with a placebo.
These trials featured a total of 123,940 participants who researchers followed up for a median average of 4–5 years.
The researchers also analyzed data from four other studies that compared different intensities of statins treatment. These studies featured a further 30,724 participants.
Each trial involved one of the following commonly used statins:
- atorvastatin
- fluvastatin
- pravastatin
- rosuvastatin
- simvastatin.
The researchers looked to see how many adverse effects occurred during the time participants received treatment and then follow-ups.
After looking at the data from the trials, the researchers found that for the majority of side effects, both statins and placebo use resulted in similar numbers of people experiencing them.
“Only four of the 66 side effects listed by the various regulatory agencies showed a statistically higher incidence in the statin group compared to the placebo group,” commented José Luis López Sendón, MD, a cardiologist at La Paz Hospital and researcher at IdiPAZ in Madrid, Spain, in a statement for the media.
Sendón was not involved in the research.
Those side effects were:
- abnormal levels of enzymes called liver transaminases
- edema
- abnormal urine test results
- abnormal liver test results.
When it came to liver test results, the increase in risk was about 0.1%. However, there was no increase in risk for liver disease, which suggests that these liver test results do not lead to further health problems.
Medical News Today reached out to Kevin Shah, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and Program Director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. Shah was likewise not involved in the study.
“This large meta-analysis suggests that many of the symptoms people attribute to statins occur at similar rates in those taking a placebo,” he noted. “That tells us that statins themselves are not responsible for most reported side effects.
“For patients, this is reassuring. Statins remain one of the most effective, well-studied therapies we have for reducing heart attack and stroke risk. This study helps reinforce that, for the vast majority of patients, statins are both safe and beneficial.”
– Kevin Shah, MD
The study authors call for changes to the way the Health industry talks about statins.
“In light of these findings, such labelling and other official sources of health information should be revised so that patients and their doctors can make appropriately informed decisions regarding statin therapy,” the authors write.
The team behind the study will continue to look into the adverse effects associated with statins use, and in particular those relating to the liver.
“Although our paper reported on liver function tests, these outcomes derived from adverse event reports as opposed to source lab data,” Reith told MNT. “And so the clinical relevance of transaminase elevations with statin use is yet to be fully elucidated.”
For now, this study could provide a measure of helpful reassurance to those contending with a risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Clinicians should acknowledge symptoms when patients report them but also help patients understand that muscle aches and other nonspecific symptoms are common in the population of people eligible for statins, and are not always caused by the medication itself,” said Shah.
“Rather than abandoning statin therapy at the first sign of discomfort, providers can focus on shared decision-making: Adjusting the dose, trying a different statin, or briefly stopping and restarting the medication to clarify whether symptoms are truly related,“ he suggested.
“Most importantly, these findings encourage clinicians to emphasize the proven cardiovascular benefits of statins while addressing concerns, so patients can stay on important therapies when able,” Shah concluded.
