Heart-health statins may cause serious side-effects

Statins are used to treat people with high cholesterol and to cut the chances of heart disease or stroke in those at high risk, such as diabetics and people with angina.

Some side-effects from the drugs are already known but new UK data has highlighted a range of other possible problems.

The study found that some statins can lead to an increased risk of liver dysfunction, acute kidney failure, muscle damage known as myopathy and cataracts.

Side-effects already known include insomnia, constipation or diarrhoea, headaches, loss of appetite and loss of sensation or pain in the nerve endings of the hands and feet.

Even so, experts and charity figures said the benefits of statins still outweigh the risks.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, involved analysing data from 368 GP practices.

The study involved more than two million patients in England and Wales aged 30 to 84.

Their health from 2002 to 2008 was analysed by experts from the University of Nottingham.

The results showed that statins were linked to a decreased risk of oesophageal cancer but increased risk of moderate or serious liver dysfunction, acute renal failure, moderate or serious myopathy and cataracts.

There was no evidence of statins being linked to a range of other cancers or Parkinson's disease.

The authors said the higher the dose of a statin, the more at risk a patient was from acute renal failure and liver dysfunction.

They said statins cut the risk of heart disease but called for more research so people at risk of side-effects could be closely monitored.

In an accompanying editorial, two experts from the United States and United Arab Emirates said: "When used according to current guidelines, the benefits of statins outweigh their risks."

June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, added: "We already know that a small number of people taking statins experience unwanted side-effects.

"However for people with, or at high risk of heart disease, the benefits of statins far outweigh this risk. The good news is that the researchers found no significant link between the use of statins and risk of Parkinson's disease or many cancers. Anybody experiencing side effects while taking statins should speak to their doctor."