A large study in Italy shows that taking statins daily has a significant impact in raising the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers monitored over 115,000 people in the Lombardy region that had been treated with statins during 2003 and 2004. The researchers noted rates of adherence to the therapy by the proportion of days in which patients took statins. The participants were then reviewed for presence of type 2 diabetes in 2010.
The results showed that over 11,000 patients developed diabetes by 2010. The lowest rates of diabetes were from patients with a very low adherence to statin therapy; those who took statins on less than 25% of days.
By comparison to those in the lowest group of adherence, rates of diabetes rose steadily as the proportion of days covered by exposure to statins increased:
Took statins 26-50% of days: 12% higher risk of diabetes
Took statins 51-75% of days: 22% higher risk of diabetes
Took statins 76-100% of days: 32% higher risk of diabetes
Currently, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is considering plans to increase the introduction of statins to include people at a relatively low risk of heart disease.
Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs which have been shown to reduce the risk of serious heart problems, including heart attacks, in around 1 in 100 people. The increased risk of diabetes on statins, however, could substantially increase the already substantial diabetes prevalence in the UK.
