Pathophysiology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis WisdomCard™
Our Guides and Physician Review team have organized the Top 10 Health Resources on Pathophysiology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis and compiled helpful research notes below.
Success!
Thanks for helping us improve this WisdomCard. We'll let you know if your resource makes the Top 10!.
Have another great resource to share? Go ahead and nominate another resource!
Nominate a Resource for this WisdomCard™
We have 5 top resources but need 5 more. Are there additional great resources about Pathophysiology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis that we should add here? The OrganizedWisdom team looks forward to reviewing your nomination!
Research Notes on Pathophysiology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis
In addition to their cholesterol-lowering activity, statins can alter the synthesis of some proteins and enzymes within skeletal muscle cells that are responsible for the proper metabolism and functioning of the tissue.1 Researchers are not sure what exactly causes the muscle damage and breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) but a recent study has shown that the protein product of a specific gene, atrogin-1, plays an important role in the muscle toxicity of statins.2 3 In several model systems, lovastatin (a generic statin) was found to induce the expression of the atrogin-1 gene.4
Fast Facts:
- Almost half of Americans over 50 years of age are prescribed statin drugs.5
- Muscle biopsies of some patients with statin-induced muscle weakness and pain actually demonstrate structural injury to the muscle cells, even in patients without elevated levels of creatine phosphokinase.6
- The atrogin-1 gene is apparently also turned on in other conditions where there is muscle wasting such as cancer, AIDS, and kidney disease.4
- Recent research indicates that some individuals may be inherently more susceptible to muscle damage by statins.6
- One day a genetic test might become available that will indicate if a person will be susceptible to statin-induced muscle damage.2
There's more WisdomCard content below this ad.
Advertisement
Research Notes References
- ↑ Mayo Clinic: Rhabdomyolysis From Statins: What's the Risk? (Aug. 16, 2008)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mayo Clinic: Statin Side Effects: Weigh the Benefits and Risks (Oct. 30, 2008)
- ↑ ScienceDaily: Gene Responsible For Statin-induced Muscle Pain Identified (Nov. 28, 2007)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 PubMed (NIH): The Muscle-specific Ubiquitin Ligase Atrogin-1/MAFbx Mediates Statin-induced Muscle Toxicity. (Abstract)
- ↑ ScienceDaily: Can Cholesterol Drugs Cause Muscle Problems?
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 ScienceDaily: Muscle Damage May Be Present In Some Patients Taking Statins (July 17, 2009)
About this WisdomCard
- Contributor: Brian Salisbury
- Reviewer: Nicole Kinsey
- Supervised by: The OrganizedWisdom Physician Review Team
- Last update: Oct. 15, 2009
Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic. In addition to filtering out spam and bad links, WisdomCards highlight tips and warnings, such as:
- Guide Favorite
- Guide Warning
- Scroll down to reach relevant content
- Video
- In Memoriam
Help improve this WisdomCard by suggesting great links.
Advertisement
Are You Depressed?
1. Have you been feeling blue, or "down in the dumps"?
About WisdomCard
Meet our contributors and reviewers
- Contributor: Brian Salisbury
- Reviewer: Nicole Kinsey
- Supervised by: The OrganizedWisdom Physician Review Team
- Redirects: Pathophysiology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis?, Pathology Behind Statins and Rhabdomyolysis, Mechanism of Statin-induced Rhabdomyolysis, How Do Statins Cause Rhabdomyolysis?
- Last update: Aug. 5, 2009
Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic by filtering out spam and bad links.
