Statins can be risk to health

Statins have been hailed as a wonder drug for slashing cholesterol and preventing tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes.

But there is increasing evidence that some of the four million people taking the drug can suffer severe side effects, ranging from muscle aches and tummy upsets to a rare but serious lung disorder.

Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox, of the University of Nottingham, said statins were a proven life saver. “People need to look at the risk as well as the benefits but, overall, the benefits do outweigh the risks.” Known side effects include insomnia, bowel problems, headaches, loss of appetite and loss of sensation or pain in the hands and feet.

One study showed statins can also increase the risk of diabetes by nine per cent in the over-60s.

Professor Hippisley-Cox, who led the new research, added: “We found four outcomes with increased risk – for kidney problems, liver problems, cataracts and muscle problems.

“For these, risk worsened over the first year and then persisted but then reversed once they had stopped the medication. When you stop taking it, the risk goes down, which does suggest an association.” The research, published in the British Medical Journal, warned that “increased risk” persisted throughout treatment and that it could take up to a year to return to normal.

In an accompanying editorial, however, two senior cardiologists insisted that when used according to current guidelines the benefits of taking statins still outweigh the risks.

The UK has one of the highest rates of heart disease in Europe, with 200,000 dying every year. But thanks to fewer people smoking and the wider use of statins, death rates have dropped by 40 per cent in recent years.

Because of the side effects it is thought at least 750,000 of those at risk are not taking the readily available and inexpensive drugs. Despite heart disease being the country’s biggest killer, causing one in three deaths, they are either not given the drugs or refuse to take them.

Professor Hippisley-Cox and Professor Carol Coupland studied data on two million patients aged 30-84.

They found the different kinds of statins all had similar effects for liver damage, apart from fluvastatin which had the highest risk.

All of the increased risks carried on throughout treatment, but were highest in the first year.

They found that for every 10,000 high-risk women treated with statins, there would be around 271 fewer cases of heart disease.

However, 74 extra patients experienced liver dysfunction, 23 extra had kidney failure, 307 had cataracts and 39 reported muscle weakness.

June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We already know that a small number of people taking statins experience unwanted side effects.

“However, for people with, or at high risk of heart disease, the benefits of statins far outweigh this risk.

“The good news is that the researchers found no significant link between the use of statins and Parkinson’s disease or many cancers.

“Anyone experiencing side effects should speak to their doctor.”