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Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects
Ramkumar S, Raghunath A, Raghunath S.. Acta Cardiologica Sinica, 2016-11-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, commonly called statins, are some of the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide. Evidence suggests that statin therapy has significant mortality and morbidity benefit for both primary and secondary prevention from cardiovascular disease. Nonetheless, concern has been expressed regarding the adverse effects of long term statin use. The purpose of this article was to review the current medical literature regarding the safety of statins. Methods Major trials and review articles on the safety of statins were identified in a search of the MEDLINE database from 1980 to 2016, which was limited to English articles. Results Myalgia is the most common side effect of statin use, with documented rates from 1-10%. Rhabdomyolysis is the most serious adverse effect from statin use, though it occurs quite rarely (less than 0.1%). The most common risk factors for statin-related myopathy include hypothyroidism, polypharmacy and alcohol abuse. Derangement in liver function tests is common, affecting up to 1% of patients; however, the clinical significance of this is unknown. Some statin drugs are potentially diabetogenic and the risk appears to increase in those patients on higher doses. Pitavastatin has not been associated with increased risk of diabetes. Statins have not been proven to increase the risk of malignancy, dementia, mood disorders or acute interstitial nephritis. However, statins do have multiple drug interactions, primarily those which interact with the cytochrome p450 enzyme group. Conclusions Overall, statin drugs appear to be safe for use in the vast majority of patients. However, patients with multiple medical co-morbidities are at increased risk of adverse effects from long-term statin use.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ramkumar, S., Raghunath, A., & Raghunath, S. (2016). Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects. Acta Cardiologica Sinica. https://doi.org/10.6515/acs20160611a
Vancouver
Ramkumar S, Raghunath A, Raghunath S. Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects. Acta Cardiologica Sinica. 2016. doi:10.6515/acs20160611a. PMID: 27899849.
BibTeX
@article{ramkumar2016-27899849,
author = {Ramkumar, S. and Raghunath, A. and Raghunath, S.},
title = {{Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects}},
journal = {Acta Cardiologica Sinica},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.6515/acs20160611a},
pmid = {27899849},
url = {https://doi.org/10.6515/acs20160611a}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Evidence suggests that statin therapy has significant mortality and morbidity benefit for both primary and secondary prevention from cardiovascular disease.
- Results Myalgia is the most common side effect of statin use, with documented rates from 1-10%.
- Pitavastatin has not been associated with increased risk of diabetes.
- Conclusions Overall, statin drugs appear to be safe for use in the vast majority of patients.
- However, patients with multiple medical co-morbidities are at increased risk of adverse effects from long-term statin use.
Why it matters
This review of statin safety found that statins appear safe for the vast majority of patients, with myalgia the most common side effect and rhabdomyolysis rare. It does not address statins as a treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Effect size0.1%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record and senior author's track record, so those were left out: it earned 42 of the 92 points we could judge it on, which is 46 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Acta Cardiologica Sinica) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 359 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 29.9 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 99 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Sudhakshini Raghunath holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Monash University: institution h-index 1,146 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27899849) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 42 / 92 | Scored on 18 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 42 of the 92 points we could judge it on is 46 out of 100. |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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