Klin Farmakol Farm. 2005;19(3):160-164

COULD ANY PROBLEMS ARISE WITH STatin treatment?

Monika Laššánová¹, Jana Tisoňová¹, Milan Kriška^1,2

¹ Farmakologický ústav Lekárskej fakulty UK, Bratislava

² Nemocnica s poliklinikou Považská Bystrica

Statins (HMG CoA reductase inhibitors) have belonged to the most often used drugs in recent years. They exert primarily very good hypolipidaemic properties with high effectiveness in lowering both total and LDL-cholesterol, powerful predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. They are used not only in cardiovascular indications but also are recommended in other indications (neurodegenerative diseases, prevention of colon cancer, etc.). Statins are overall considered to be well tolerated drugs, which has been verified by many controlled studies and by clinical practice. The frequency of clinically important serious adverse effects is relatively low, but in patients at a high risk a serious drug induced damage may appear in case of drug exposition. The real risk of statins is related not only directly to the risk potential of the statin molecule but also to concomitant administration to risk groups of patients. In this paper, the authors focus on possibilities of identification of patient subpopulation at risk, with respect to target organs of supposed toxicity of statins. The factors precipitating statin toxicity are being searched by analysis of possible organotoxicity in the liver, muscles and nerves.

Keywords: Key words: statins, inhibitors of HMG CoA reductase, adverse drug effect, drug induced toxicity, risk patient.

Published: January 1, 2006  Show citation