Atherosclerosis
Volume 210, Issue 2 , Pages 337-343, June 2010

The genetics of statin-induced myopathy☆

  • Abhijit Ghatak

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
    • ,
  • Osman Faheem

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, The Henry Low Heart Centre, Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, Hartford, CT 06102, USA
    • ,
  • Paul D. Thompson

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, The Henry Low Heart Centre, Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, Hartford, CT 06102, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, PO Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102-5037, USA. Tel.: +1 860 545 2880; fax: +1 860 545 2882.

Received 17 October 2009; received in revised form 20 November 2009; accepted 20 November 2009. published online 30 December 2009.

Abstract 

Objective

Our goal was to use genetic variants to identify factors contributing to the muscular side effects of statins.

Background

Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) are usually well tolerated medications, but muscle symptoms, ranging from mild myalgia to clinically important rhabdomyolysis are an important side effect of these drugs and a leading cause of noncompliance. Recent results suggest that genetic factors increase the risk of statin-related muscle complaints. We performed a systematic review of the medical literature to determine genetic factors associated with statin myopathy.

Methods

We identified English language articles relating statin myopathy and genetic diseases and gene variants via a PubMed search. Articles pertinent to the topic were reviewed in detail.

Results/Conclusions

Our review suggests that some patients are susceptible to statin myopathy because of pre-existing subclinical inherited muscular disorders, or genetic variation in statin uptake proteins encoded by SLCO1B1 or the cytochrome P enzyme system. Variations in genes affecting pain perception and polymorphism in vascular receptors may also contribute to statin myopathy. None of the variants identified in this review suggested novel metabolic mechanisms leading to statin myopathy.

Abbreviations: HMG-CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A, LDL, low density lipoprotein, OATP, organic anion transporter protein, SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism, CK, creatine kinase

Keywords: Genetics, Organic anion transporter, Inherited

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☆ No funding was received for this project.

PII: S0021-9150(09)00990-3

doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2009.11.033

Atherosclerosis
Volume 210, Issue 2 , Pages 337-343, June 2010

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