Simvastatin can induce amyopathic dermatomyositis

This paper was published in the British Journal of Dermatology 2009 Jul;161(1):206-8

 

Study title and authors:

Simvastatin-induced amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Inhoff O, Peitsch WK, Paredes BE, Goerdt S, Goebeler M.

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19438466

 

Dermatomyositis is an inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness and a distinctive skin rash. Amyopathic dermatomyositis is a variant of dermatomyositis that is characterized by the typical skin rash but without the muscle abnormalities.

 

This paper describes the case of a woman who developed amyopathic dermatomyositis while on statin therapy.

 

(i) A 70 year old woman, treated for several years with simvastatin, sought medical attention for itching, rashes and plaques on sun-exposed parts of her body.

(ii) The patient did not have muscle weakness.

(iii) A skin biopsy revealed dermatitis and lesions coupled with thin and wrinkled skin.

(iv) A diagnosis of simvastatin induced amyopathic dermatomyositis was made.

(v) Simvastatin was discontinued.

(vi) Five months later the skin lesions had almost completely cleared.

Statins may be associated with skin lesions

This paper was published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 2010 Sep-Oct;14(5):207-11

 

Study title and authors:

Statins and "chameleon-like" cutaneous eruptions: simvastatin-induced acral cutaneous vesiculobullous and pustular eruption in a 70-year-old man.

Adams AE, Bobrove AM, Gilliam AC.

Department of Dermatology and Rheumatology, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Group, Palo Alto, CA, USA.

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20868617

Adams notes that statins are associated with many types of cutaneous eruptions (skin lesions and rashes) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermolytic necrolysis, porphyria cutanea tarda, linear IgA bullous dermatosis, and reaction patterns (lupus and dermatomyositis-like and pustular).

The paper presents the case of a man covered with skin lesions after taking simvastatin (zocor) drugs.

(i) A 70 year old man was prescribed simvastatin and began to suffer with chronic vesiculobullous, see here, and pustular annular lesions, see here, on his arms, legs, hands, and feet.
(ii) After two years the man stopped taking simvastatin and his condition improved.
(iii) He later restarted simvastatin and the lesions recurred.
(iv) He eventually discontinued simvastatin and the lesions cleared.

This case provides evidence that statins may be associated with skin lesions.