Statin Drugs May Increase Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy
May 13, 2002
St. Paul, Minn. – Statin drugs can increase the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy, according to a study published in the May 14 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Peripheral neuropathy results from damage to the peripheral nerves and causes weakness, numbness and pain in the hands and feet. Statin drugs are prescribed for millions of Americans to lower cholesterol.
People taking statins were 14 times more likely to develop peripheral neuropathy than people who were not taking statins, according to the Danish study. However, the overall risk of developing neuropathy is rare, said study author David Gaist, MD, PhD, of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense.
“The positive benefits of statins, particularly on reducing the risk of heart disease, far outweigh the potential risk of developing neuropathy,” Gaist said. “These findings shouldn””t affect doctor or patient decisions to start using statins. But if people who take statins develop neuropathy symptoms, they should talk with their doctor, who may reconsider the use of statins.”
For the population-based study, the researchers used a patient registry to identify all of the first-time cases of peripheral neuropathy with no known cause (such as diabetes) in Funen County, Denmark, over a five-year period. Each case was matched to 25 people of the same age and sex with no neuropathy as a control group. The use of statins was then determined for each group.
They identified 166 cases of first-time neuropathy with no known cause. Of those, 35 had a definite diagnosis, 54 were probable cases and 77 were possible cases. Nine of the people with neuropathy had taken statins. They had taken statins for an average of 2.8 years.
For those with a definite diagnosis of neuropathy, the statin users”” risk of developing neuropathy was 16 times higher than for the control group. When all cases of neuropathy were taken into account, the statin users”” risk of developing neuropathy was four times higher than the control group’s risk.
Taking statins for longer periods of time and taking higher doses of them increased the risk of developing neuropathy.
Statins lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by blocking the production of a liver enzyme used by the body to make cholesterol.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 26,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com
D. Gaist, MD PhD
Neurology May 14, 2002 vol. 58 no. 9 1333-1337
ABSTRACT
Background: Several case reports and a single epidemiologic study indicate that use of statins occasionally may have a deleterious effect on the peripheral nervous system. The authors therefore performed a population-based study to estimate the relative risk of idiopathic polyneuropathy in users of statins.
Method: The authors used a population-based patient registry to identify first-time-ever cases of idiopathic polyneuropathy registered in the 5-year period 1994 to 1998. For each case, validated according to predefined criteria, 25 control subjects were randomly selected among subjects from the background population matched for age, sex, and calendar time. The authors used a prescription register to assess exposure to drugs and estimated the odds ratio of use of statins (ever and current use) in cases of idiopathic polyneuropathy compared with control subjects.
Results: The authors verified a diagnosis of idiopathic polyneuropathy in 166 cases. The cases were classified as definite (35), probable (54), or possible (77). The odds ratio linking idiopathic polyneuropathy with statin use was 3.7 (95% CI 1.8 to 7.6) for all cases and 14.2 (5.3 to 38.0) for definite cases. The corresponding odds ratios in current users were 4.6 (2.1 to 10.0) for all cases and 16.1 (5.7 to 45.4) for definite cases. For patients treated with statins for 2 or more years the odds ratio of definite idiopathic polyneuropathy was 26.4 (7.8 to 45.4).
Conclusions: Long-term exposure to statins may substantially increase the risk of polyneuropathy.