<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
MONDAY, Dec. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Statins are associated with a low risk for side effects, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published online Dec. 10 in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Connie B. Newman, M.D., from the New York University School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues provide a comprehensive review of statin safety and tolerability using data from randomized clinical trials and observational data.<\/p>\n
The authors note that the risks for statin-induced serious muscle injury and serious hepatotoxicity are <0.1 percent and about 0.001 percent, respectively; the risk for statin-induced newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus is about 0.2 percent per year of treatment. Statins possibly increase the risk for hemorrhagic stroke in patients with cerebrovascular disease; however, the reductions in the risk for atherothrombotic stroke, total stroke, and other cardiovascular events are greater. No convincing evidence was seen for a causal relationship between statins and cancer, cataracts, cognitive dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, or tendonitis. About 10 percent of patients in U.S. clinical practices stop taking a statin because of subjective complaints, most often muscle symptoms. In randomized clinical trials, the difference in the incidence of muscle symptoms in statin-treated compared with placebo-treated participants is less than 1 percent.<\/p>\n
“In the patient population in whom statins are recommended by current guidelines, the benefit of reducing cardiovascular risk with statin therapy far outweighs any safety concerns,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n