Statin therapy provides cardiovascular benefits and pleiotropic effects, but is associated with adverse effects like statin-associated symptoms that may require dose adjustments or discontinuation.
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the pleiotropic benefits and potential adverse effects of statins, highlighting the clinical challenge of managing statin-associated symptoms.
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, are the primary treatment choice for cardiovascular diseases, which stand as the leading global cause of mortality. Statins also offer various pleiotropic effects, including improved endothelial function, anti-inflammatory properties, reduced oxidative stress, anti-thrombotic effects, and the stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the usage of statins can be accompanied by a range of adverse effects, such as the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, muscular symptoms, liver toxicity, kidney diseases, cataracts, hemorrhagic strokes, and psychiatric complications. These issues are referred to as statin-associated symptoms (SAS) and are relatively infrequent in clinical trials, making it challenging to attribute them to statin use definitively. Therefore, these symptoms can lead to significant problems, necessitating dose adjustments or discontinuation of statin therapy. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanism of action, potential advantages, and associated risks of statin utilization in clinical settings.
Khatiwada et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Cardiovascular diseases. Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) was evaluated. Statin therapy provides cardiovascular benefits and pleiotropic effects, but is associated with adverse effects like statin-associated symptoms that may require dose adjustments or discontinuation.