Statin drugs for Lifestyle. Simvastatin generic. Photo by Bill Uhrich 7/24/2015 (Photo By MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
A new risk calculator developed by researchers at the University of Oxford suggests serious muscle disorders linked to statin use are rare for the vast majority of people who could benefit from the cholesterol-lowering drugs, offering a personalized way to weigh the risks and benefits of treatment.
Dig deeper:
The calculator, described in The Lancet Digital Health, found that more than 98% of people identified by their general practitioners as eligible for statin treatment were at low risk of developing serious muscle disorders over the next decade.
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Researchers say the tool could help address persistent concerns about side effects, which remain one of the biggest barriers to starting or continuing statin therapy despite the drugs' proven ability to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The study also found that more than 60% of people eligible for statin treatment were not taking the medication, even though some face a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
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The backstory:
The calculator was developed by researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences using anonymized health records from more than 5.6 million people registered with GP practices across England.
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The prediction model uses 22 routinely recorded factors—including age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, existing health conditions, previous muscle problems, vitamin D deficiency, medication use and statin prescriptions—to estimate an individual's risk over one, five and 10 years.
Why you should care:
Researchers envision the tool being used alongside cardiovascular risk assessments such as QRISK, allowing clinicians and patients to consider both the benefits of preventing heart attacks and strokes and the potential risk of serious muscle disorders when deciding whether to begin statin treatment.
What they're saying:
"Serious muscle disorders are one of the most widely discussed concerns about statins, but our findings suggest that the risk is very low for the vast majority of people who may benefit from treatment," said Dr. Ting Cai, research fellow at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and lead author of the study.
"Understanding a person's risk can help put those concerns into perspective, support more informed treatment decisions and provide reassurance. For the small number of people at higher risk, it gives clinicians a clearer basis for discussing monitoring, checks or alternative treatment options."
What you can do:
The calculator is available through the Oxford University Innovation software store. Researchers hope it will encourage more personalized discussions about statin therapy and help patients make better-informed decisions about preventing cardiovascular disease.
The Source: The findings come from a study by researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, published in The Lancet Digital Health. This story was reported from Los Angeles.