New Study Emerges With Disturbing Results Linking Statins Usage With Skin Infections and Diabetes
Source: Thailand Medical News Nov 26, 2019 4 years, 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 16 hours ago
Researchers from Curtin University Australia have found that using
statins for as short a time as three months can put patients at risk for developing
diabetes and skin and
soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The results of the study have been published in the November issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Dr Humphrey H.T. Ko, from the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and colleagues performed a sequence symmetry analysis of prescription claims for antidiabetic medications, antistaphylococcal antibiotics, and
statins from the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs from 2001 through 2011. At intervals of 91, 182, and 365 days, the authors calculated adjusted sequence ratios and confidence intervals.
The medical researchers found statins to be associated with a significant risk for
SSTIs (adjusted sequence ratios were 1.40 at 91 days, 1.41 at 182 days, and 1.40 at 365 days; confidence interval > 1).
The greatest risk was found to be associated with
statins atorvastatin and simvastatin. A significant risk was also observed for the onset of
diabetes (adjusted sequence ratios were 1.19 at 91 days, 1.14 at 182 days, and 1.09 at 365 days; CI > 1). Again,
atorvastatin and simvastatin were found to be linked to the greatest risk for the onset of
diabetes.
Dr Humphrey told
Thailand Medical News "Our study supports the hypothesis that statin users are at increased risk of
SSTIs and this risk was likely independent of diabetes status or the healthy user effect.
Statins may increase
SSTI risk via direct or indirect mechanisms. It would seem prudent for clinicians to monitor blood glucose levels of
statin users who are predisposed to
diabetes, and be mindful of possible increased
SSTI risks in such patients."
The team are conduction further studies and are also planning to petition the US FDA and also other regulatory agencies to impose warnings on all statin medications about the side effects.
Reference: A sequence symmetry analysis of the interrelationships between statins, diabetes and skin infections, Humphrey H.T. Ko ,Ricky R. Lareu ,Brett R. Dix ,Jeffery D. Hughes&nbs
p;,Richard W. Parsons
British Journal Of Clinical PharmacologyFirst published: 08 October 2019
https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14077
