Statin-induced myopathies.
Journal Title: Pharmacological Reports - Year 2011, Vol 63, Issue 4
Abstract
Statins are considered to be safe, well tolerated and the most efficient drugs for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, one of the main risk factor for atherosclerosis, and therefore they are frequently prescribed medications. The most severe adverse effect of statins is myotoxicity, in the form of myopathy, myalgia, myositis or rhabdomyolysis. Clinical trials commonly define statin toxicity as myalgia or muscle weakness with creatine kinase (CK) levels greater than 10 times the normal upper limit. Rhabdomyolysis is the most severe adverse effect of statins, which may result in acute renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation and death. The exact pathophysiology of statin-induced myopathy is not fully known. Multiple pathophysiological mechanisms may contribute to statin myotoxicity. This review focuses on a number of them. The prevention of statin-related myopathy involves using the lowest statin dose required to achieve therapeutic goals and avoiding polytherapy with drugs known to increase systemic exposure and myopathy risk. Currently, the only effective treatment of statin-induced myopathy is the discontinuation of statin use in patients affected by muscle aches, pains and elevated CK levels.
Authors and Affiliations
Michał Tomaszewski, Karolina Stępień, Joanna Tomaszewska, Stanisław Czuczwar
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP124521
- DOI -
- Views 72
- Downloads 0
Prodrugs and soft drugs.
This review focuses on a new approach to the development of drugs, namely on prodrugs and soft drugs. Nowadays, we try to design drugs that heal sick people having the best acceptance of patients. They must be efficient...
Chronic exercise increases sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic exercise alters sensitivity to the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine. Female rats were obtained at weaning and randomly assigned to either sedentary or ex...
Effect of metyrapone on the fluoxetine-induced change in extracellular dopamine, serotonin and their metabolites in the rat frontal cortex.
Major depression is frequently associated with the hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, and glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitors have been shown to exert antidepressant action. Metyrapone (an i...
Neuronal autophagy in cerebral ischemia - a potential target for neuroprotective strategies?
Although many attempts have been made, stroke treatment options are still extremely limited and brain ischemia remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Two major strategies for ischemic stroke, reperf...
Effects of 3-aminopyridine-induced seizures on platelet eicosanoid synthesis.
We investigated the influence of recurrent epileptic seizures on the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade in platelets and brain microvessels, using [(14)C]AA as a tracer substrate and chromatographic determination. The recurre...