STATINS, THE cholesterol-lowering class of drugs, have been linked with an increased risk of developing diabetes. However, drug regulators have advised doctors that the benefit of using statins outweighs any risk of diabetes and patients should continue to take the widely prescribed medication.
In its lates t Drug Safety Newsletter, the Irish Medicines Board tells doctors there is sufficient evidence from recent research to support an association between statin use and newly diagnosed diabetes.
Although the risk was small, given the number of people taking the cholesterol drug, “even a relatively small increase in the risk of new onset diabetes could potentially result in a significant number of additional cases of diabetes per year”, it says.
In absolute terms, one additional case of diabetes arises when some 250 patients are treated with statins for four years.
The benefits of statins in reducing heart attacks and stroke are well proven. They are routinely prescribed for people with a history of coronary heart disease and for those assessed as being of high risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
“While there is sufficient evidence to support an association between statin use and new onset diabetes, the risk appears to be mainly in patients already at increased risk of developing diabetes.
“Raised fasting blood glucose at baseline is a key factor in determining this increased risk and may be sufficient to identify those at risk. Other risk factors include a history of hypertension, raised triglycerides (fats) and raised body mass index (BMI) at baseline,” the IMB advises.
But along with other European drug regulators it now requires the manufacturers of all brands of statins to warn doctors of the need to monitor people at risk of diabetes. The product information now requires both clinical surveillance and blood testing to be carried out, so that any additional cases of diabetes are identified promptly.
Meanwhile, research published yesterday in the Archives of Neurologysuggests that regular use of statin drugs may be associated with a modest reduction in risk for developing Parkinson's disease, particularly among younger patients.
Doctors from Harvard School of Public Health said the effects of statins of lowering the blood level of coenzyme Q10 may be neuroprotective in patients with Parkinson’s disease. But they concluded the protective benefits were marginally significant and could be a chance finding.
