Why Are Statins Controversial?

Statins are the most commonly prescribed drug in the world and an estimated 30 percent of all adults over the age of 40 are eligible to take them. The cholesterol-lowering drugs are given to people believed to have a 10 percent or higher risk
of developing cardiovascular disease or having a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years. They are proven to help people who have suffered heart problems in the past, but experts say the thresholds may be too high, meaning benefits are outweighed by side effects for many people.

Nearly all men exceed the 10 percent threshold by age 65, and all women do so by age 70 - regardless of their health. Commonly reported side effects include headache, muscle pain and nausea, and statins can also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hepatitis, pancreatitis and vision problems or memory loss.

A study of more than 120,000 people in France found otherwise-healthy patients who had been taking statins in their early 70s were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke if they stopped taking the drugs at the age of 75. They had all been taking statins for the two years prior to reaching that age, and one in seven of them stopped taking the drugs during the study. Those who stopped were 33 percent more likely to have any type of heart-related health problem afterwards - 5,396 people were hospitalised in the study period. Statin-stoppers were 46 percent more likely to have a heart attack or cardiac arrest,  and 26 per cent more likely to have a stroke.

The research team said their research could not prove that stopping statins was what caused people to have poor heart health afterwards, only that there was a link. The research adds to past work which has found unhealthy patients also have a significantly higher risk of dying if they don't take their pills.

A study by Stanford University in California found people who only took their statins half the time were 30 per cent more likely to die in any given year than a patient who takes them 90 per cent of the time. This risk rises even more for people who stop taking them altogether. Experts called the research 'powerful' and 'impressive'.

'Although statins are among the most effective drugs for the secondary prevention of (heart disease), low adherence is a common problem,' the study said. 'Low adherence is associated with higher levels of cholesterol and higher rates of hospitalisation from stroke and ischemic disease.'

The French team's findings were published in the European Heart Journal.