Study title and authors:
Adverse Effects of Statins
Anna Jamroz-Wisniewska and Jerzy Bettowski
This study can be accessed at: http://198.170.104.138/3/detail.php?id=1&jid=ijp&theme=3&issueno=157&articleno=55015
Dr Anna Jamroz-Wisniewska reviewed the evidence concerning the adverse effects of statins.
The review found:
(i) Statins inhibit the production of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylcoenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, an enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, which initially converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate. Mevalonate is the precursor to cholesterol.
(ii) Apart from cholesterol, mevalonate is also a precursor for nonsteroid isoprenoids including farnesylpyrophosphate, geranylgeranylpyrophosphate, coenzyme Q, dolichol and isopentenylpyrophosphate which play an essential role in cellular physiology.
(iii) The authors report that myopathy (muscle disease) is the most frequent side effect of statins
. Other's include peripheral
neuropathy (damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system), hepatotoxicity (liver damage), increased risk of cataract and, according to some studies, increased risk of breast cancer.
(iv) Some studies suggest that statins may sometimes even be the cause of clogged arteries and heart failure.
The review found:
(i) Statins inhibit the production of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarylcoenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, an enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, which initially converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate. Mevalonate is the precursor to cholesterol.
(ii) Apart from cholesterol, mevalonate is also a precursor for nonsteroid isoprenoids including farnesylpyrophosphate, geranylgeranylpyrophosphate, coenzyme Q, dolichol and isopentenylpyrophosphate which play an essential role in cellular physiology.
(iii) The authors report that myopathy (muscle disease) is the most frequent side effect of statins
. Other's include peripheral neuropathy (damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system), hepatotoxicity (liver damage), increased risk of cataract and, according to some studies, increased risk of breast cancer.(iv) Some studies suggest that statins may sometimes even be the cause of clogged arteries and heart failure.
