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Severe side-effects of statins

While showing initial promise, statins have become highly controversial because of their severe long-time side-effects, including an increase in heart failure, diabetes, and coronary artery calcification. The latter being characteristic for progressing coronary artery disease and a prominent risk factor for heart attacks.

From all of the scientific evidence, we picked these publications:

Cholesterol Drug Bombs
Jan. 16, 2008 – New York Times

The annual rate of coronary artery calcification with combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that with statin monotherapy

Statins and/or PCSK9 inhibitors cause the regression of coronary atheroma and reduce clinical events. However, it currently remains unclear whether these drugs modulate coronary atheroma calcification in vivo. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores (Agatston Units, AUs) were estimated in 120 patients receiving coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) (63% males; median age 56 years). The CAC scores were compared among the three groups: (1) neither statin nor PCSK9 inhibitor therapy, (2) statin monotherapy, and (3) statin and PCSK9 inhibitor combination therapy in an unpaired cross-sectional study. Additionally, CCTA was performed twice at an interval in 15 patients undergoing statin monotherapy to compare the previous (baseline) and subsequent (follow-up) CAC scores in a paired longitudinal study. In addition, a PCSK9 inhibitor was administered to 16 patients undergoing statin therapy. Before and after that, CCTA was performed twice to compare the previous and subsequent CAC scores in a paired longitudinal study. The unpaired cross-sectional study and paired longitudinal study consist of completely different patients. Among 120 patients, 40 (33%) had a CAC score >100 AUs. The median CAC score increased in the following order: statin group, statin and PCSK9 group, and no-statin-no-PCSK9 group. Annual CAC score progression was 29.7% by statin monotherapy and 14.3% following the addition of the PCSK9 inhibitor to statin therapy. The annual rate of CAC with the combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that with statin monotherapy. CAC may be prevented with PCSK9 Inhibitor.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29951223/

The annual rate of coronary artery calcification with combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that with statin monotherapy

Statins and/or PCSK9 inhibitors cause the regression of coronary atheroma and reduce clinical events. However, it currently remains unclear whether these drugs modulate coronary atheroma calcification in vivo. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores (Agatston Units, AUs) were estimated in 120 patients receiving coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) (63% males; median age 56 years). The CAC scores were compared among the three groups: (1) neither statin nor PCSK9 inhibitor therapy, (2) statin monotherapy, and (3) statin and PCSK9 inhibitor combination therapy in an unpaired cross-sectional study. Additionally, CCTA was performed twice at an interval in 15 patients undergoing statin monotherapy to compare the previous (baseline) and subsequent (follow-up) CAC scores in a paired longitudinal study. In addition, a PCSK9 inhibitor was administered to 16 patients undergoing statin therapy. Before and after that, CCTA was performed twice to compare the previous and subsequent CAC scores in a paired longitudinal study. The unpaired cross-sectional study and paired longitudinal study consist of completely different patients. Among 120 patients, 40 (33%) had a CAC score >100 AUs. The median CAC score increased in the following order: statin group, statin and PCSK9 group, and no-statin-no-PCSK9 group. Annual CAC score progression was 29.7% by statin monotherapy and 14.3% following the addition of the PCSK9 inhibitor to statin therapy. The annual rate of CAC with the combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that with statin monotherapy. CAC may be prevented with PCSK9 Inhibitor.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-018-0026-2

Investigating potential mediator between statin and coronary artery calcification

Statins are mainstay anti-lipidaemic treatments for preventing cardiovascular diseases but also known to increase coronary artery calcification (CAC). However, underlying relationship between statin and CAC is still unclear. This study explored the mediating role of five statin-related biochemical factors [i.e., low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels]. Seoul Metabolic Syndrome cohort study includes 1370 participants suspected of metabolic syndrome. For causal mediation analysis, the dataset for 2016 including 847 participants with coronary computed tomography without any missing value were analysed using the Mediation package in R software. This study identified a causal mediation mechanism of HDL-cholesterol among the five biochemical factors. It implied that statin treatment increases the HDL-cholesterol level, leading to decreasing the probability of CAC score > 0. Estimated values of interest in HDL-cholesterol mediation were (1) average causal mediation effect, -0.011 with 95% CI [-0.025, -0.003], (2) average direct effect, 0.143 with 95% CI [0.074, 0.219], and total effect, 0.132 with 95% CI [0.063, 0.209]. Its mediation effect was maintained regardless of statin intensity. Sensitivity analysis also provided a robustness of the results under potential existence of a confounder between HDL-cholesterol and CAC. This study suggests a potential causal pathway between statin and CAC (the positive association of statin on CAC) through HDL-cholesterol as an inhibitor.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6143241/

Progression of Vascular Calcification Is Increased With Statin Use in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT) 

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of statin use on progression of vascular calcification in type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and abdominal aortic artery calcification (AAC) was assessed according to the frequency of statin use in 197 participants with T2DM.

RESULTS After adjustment for baseline CAC and other confounders, progression of CAC was significantly higher in more frequent statin users than in less frequent users (mean ± SE, 8.2 ± 0.5 mm3 vs. 4.2 ± 1.1 mm3; P < 0.01). AAC progression was in general not significantly increased with more frequent statin use; in a subgroup of participants initially not receiving statins, however, progression of both CAC and AAC was significantly increased in frequent statin users.

CONCLUSIONS More frequent statin use is associated with accelerated CAC in T2DM patients with advanced atherosclerosis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476911/