CardioExchange Archive

An observational study published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides new evidence suggesting that people who take statins are more likely to develop musculoskeletal problems.

Ishak Mansi and colleagues analyzed data from 6,967 statin users and an equal number of propensity-matched nonusers who were active-duty soldiers, veterans, and their families in the San Antonio Military Area. They found that the statin users were more likely to have musculoskeletal problems:

• All musculoskeletal diseases: Odds Ratio 1.19, CI 1.08-1.30
• Dislocation/strain/sprain: OR 1.13, CI 1.05-1.21
• Musculoskeletal pain: OR 1.09, CI 1.02-1.18
• Osteoarthritis/arthropathy: OR 1.07, CI 0.99-1.16

The authors calculated that between 37 and 58 people would need to be treated with statins to cause one additional person to develop musculoskeletal disease. However, increased exposure did not appear to raise the risk of statin use.

The results, according to the authors, “indicate that the full spectrum of statin AEs [adverse events] has not been fully explored.” They call for more studies on this topic: “the full spectrum of statin AEs will provide more complete data for cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses of statin use.”

The study appears two weeks after a small study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology received considerable attention after it was covered in the New York Times. In that study the investigators found that statins appeared to blunt the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise.