HEALTHY DIETS AND SCIENCE
Find Out What The Scientific Evidence Actually Says About “Healthy Diets” and Pharmaceutical Drugs
Friday, 13 June 2014
Statin use increases the risk of osteoarthritis and joint pain by 26%
This study was published in the American Journal of Medical Sciences 2013 May;345(5):343-8
Study title and authors:
Incidence of musculoskeletal and neoplastic diseases in patients on statin therapy: results of a retrospective cohort analysis.
Mansi IA, Mortensen EM, Pugh MJ, Wegner M, Frei CR.
Brooke Army Medical Center, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78234-6200, USA. Iishak.mansi@us.army.mil
This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22975580
This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of various musculoskeletal diseases in statin users and nonusers. The study included 12,980 statin users and 45,997 nonusers who were followed for four years.
The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 26% increased risk of osteoarthritis and arthropathy (joint pain) compared to non-users.
(b) Statin users had a 20% increased risk of dorsopathies (back or spinal pain), rheumatism (joint and connective tissue problems) and chondropathies (cartilage disease) compared to non-users.
Incidence of musculoskeletal and neoplastic diseases in patients on statin therapy: results of a retrospective cohort analysis.
Am J Med Sci. 2013 May;345(5):343-8. doi: 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31825b8edf.
Mansi IA1, Mortensen EM, Pugh MJ, Wegner M, Frei CR.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Because of their beneficial cardiovascular effects, several studies have recently advocated starting statins at a young age for primary prevention. However, some reports suggest that statin therapy may be associated with an increased incidence of musculoskeletal and neoplastic diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of various musculoskeletal and neoplastic diseases in statin users and nonusers.
METHODS:
A retrospective cohort study of patients in the San Antonio Military Multi-Service Market during the period from October 1, 2003, to March 5, 2010, was conducted. The International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, diagnosis codes between 2 cohort groups-statin users and nonusers-were compared. Statin users were those patients with at least one 3-month prescription for a statin in the fiscal year 2004. Nonusers were those patients who received a prescription-but not a statin-during the period of the study. Both groups were assessed for the development of musculoskeletal and neoplastic diseases in the following 4-year period (October 1, 2004, to September 30, 2009).
RESULTS:
A total of 92,360 patients were identified: 12,980 statin users and 45,997 nonusers. After adjusting for age, sex and Charlson comorbidity index, statin users had significantly higher rates of osteoarthritis and arthropathy (odds ratio: 1.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.33), and dorsopathies, rheumatism and chondropathies (odds ratio: 1.20; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.27).
CONCLUSIONS:
In this retrospective analysis, statin use was associated with an increased incidence of musculoskeletal diseases, including arthropathy. Further studies are needed to provide physicians and their patients with adequate information regarding statin therapy, particularly if recommended for primary prevention in younger populations.
PMID: 22975580 DOI: 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31825b8edf