Via practica 1/2010

Drug-induced myopathy with cholesterol-lowering and triacylglycerol-lowering agents

Cholesterol-lowering and triacylglycerol-lowering agents are successfully exploited in prevention of cardiovascular incidents with increasing prescription. These agents are generally well tolerated; however they belong to a group of drugs with myotoxic effects. We have observed in recent years an increasing number of patients with muscle (myopathic) side-effects. Rhabdomyolysis, as a life-threatening condition, occurs only rarely. The paper focuses on epidemiology, symptomatology, diagnosis and therapy of drug-induced myopathy with cholesterol and triacylglycerol-lowering agents.

Keywords: cholesterol and triacylglycerol-lowering agents, statins, risk factors, toxic myopathy