Millions of Americans avoid taking statins because they fear muscle pain and other side effects. A large new study says that fear is largely unfounded when it comes to serious muscular disorders.
Researchers found that less than 1% of statin users in their study had a 10-year risk of serious statin-related muscle disorders higher than 10%. The results were published on June 25, according to Healthline. The study drew on electronic health records from more than 1.7 million participants in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a database of patients in England registered between 1998 and 2018.
The concern over statins has had real consequences. Statins can lower cholesterol levels significantly, yet past research shows that fewer than half of the 50 million Americans who might benefit from them actually take the drugs. It is also estimated that as many as one-third of people who are prescribed statins never even fill the prescription.
The study authors said that widespread concerns about side effects have contributed to low statin use, and that this in turn has led to more cardiovascular disease and related deaths. The authors wrote that "widespread and often misattributed concerns" about statin side effects have led to "low statin uptake and poor adherence in individuals eligible for treatment, consequently leading to increased [cardiovascular disease] and related deaths."
The researchers used a predictive model to calculate the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year risks of serious muscle disorders linked to hospitalization or death. They adjusted for the risk that some participants might die from other causes before developing a muscle disorder. In the end, about 0.04% of the people studied had a 10-year risk of serious statin-related muscle disorders above 10%.
The study included males ages 50 and older and females ages 60 and older. Researchers said they hope the findings will encourage both patients and doctors to reconsider the risks and benefits.
Yu-Ming Ni, MD, a cardiologist and lipidologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in California, said the study sends a clear message. "When you look broadly across all people currently on statins, the rate of side effects is very low," he told Healthline. "When you consider the value that taking a statin daily provides to prevent heart disease, it is rare that the risk from the medication side effects outweighs the benefit of taking it."
The study authors argued that better personalized risk information could improve how doctors and patients make decisions together. "Clinical treatment decision making can be better informed by personalized risk information about treatment outcomes, including both benefits and harms," they wrote.
The researchers said serious muscle disorders have long been perceived by patients and physicians as a major barrier to statin use, but the actual data suggest those fears are out of proportion with the real risk for most people.
