Abstract

SPALVIERI, Mónica Paula  and  OYOLA, María Eugenia. Statins: incidence of adverse effects. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2011, vol.45, n.4, pp.727-738. ISSN 0325-2957.

Statins are a group of drugs widely used in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Its mechanism of action is based on inhibiting the enzyme 3 hydroxi 3 methyl glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), which catalyses a key step in cholesterol synthesis, the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate. Inhibition of the enzyme by statins results in decreased hepatic cholesterol synthesis and increased expression of LDL receptors on hepatocytes. Statins are generally well tolerated; the most important adverse effects are associated my-opathy and asymptomatic increases in liver transaminases. The aims of this paper are to try to establish the incidence of adverse effects caused by statins used in dyslipidemic patients, mainly myositis; determine the percentage of patients who begin treatment without knowing the initial value of CK, and the percentage of individuals with elevated CK more than ten times the normal value in an asymptomatic way; and determine which are the most frequently used statins are, and which of them present a higher incidence of adverse effects.

Keywords : Statins; Myopathy; Creatine kinase; Adverse effects.

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