A recent study reveals “important results” about the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs
The largest study of its kind has revealed that the side effects of statins are exaggerated and far less common than previously thought.
Researchers in Poland say that at least 6% of statin users will actually develop "statin intolerance".
Professor Maciej Banach, a cardiologist from Lodz Medical University, said his team's important findings, based on a review of 170 existing studies involving 4 million people, show that statins "can be used safely in most patients".
"It is very important for lowering their cholesterol levels and preventing cardiovascular disease and death," he said.
According to "Daily Mail" and "Russia Today"
Statins work by reducing the production of "bad cholesterol" - low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - which can harden and narrow arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
And studies have proven time and time again that the drug saves lives.
Doctors believe that tens of thousands of people die each year because they avoid taking life-saving pills, often due to side effects.
The researchers reviewed 176 studies on the rate of statin intolerance, including a total of 4.1 million patients.
The average age of the participants was 60 years, and the proportion of females was 40%.
After following patients for a year and a half, researchers found that 9.1% of patients showed signs of intolerance to statins — when people have to stop taking the drug because of its side effects.
But using different criteria to measure statin intolerance showed that the problem was less common.
And only 6.7% of participants met the lower end of the International Lipid Experts Committee's definition - an inability to tolerate a dose of medication.
A different definition by the National Lipid Association, which considers intolerance as "any adverse effect" that prompts patients to stop taking the drug, found that 7% of people did not tolerate the drug.
But the rate stood at just 5.9% under the European Society of Atherosclerosis definition, which defines statin intolerance as people who experienced side effects in their muscles.
Professor Banach said: 'I think the size of our study, which is the largest in the world to investigate this question, means we are able to definitively and effectively answer the question about the true prevalence of statin intolerance.
Our findings mean that we must evaluate patients' symptoms very carefully, first to see if the symptoms are actually caused by the statin."
He said clinicians should also assess whether patients' perceived side effects could be a result of their "perceptions that statins are harmful."
He also explained that the so-called "nocebo or drucebo" effect could be responsible for more than 50% of all symptoms, rather than the drug itself.
Banach added: “These results clearly show that patients do not need to fear statin therapy because it is well tolerated by up to 93%, which is similar or even better than other heart medications, including those for lowering blood pressure and for thrombosis or occlusion of blood vessels. .
Furthermore, patients need to know that statins may extend their lives, and in cases where side effects do appear, we have sufficient knowledge to effectively manage these effects.
The most important message for patients as a result of this study is that they should continue to take statins as prescribed, and discuss any side effects with their doctor, rather than stopping the medication.”
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