Statin-related muscle pain may be preventable

Tuesday August 27th, 2019

Patients taking statins may be able to prevent muscle pain through moderate exercise, British researchers report today.

The findings come from a laboratory study into the problem, which, according to the research, is caused by "spontaneous and irregular" leaks of calcium in the muscles.

Research involving laboratory rats found that when the animals had exercise wheels, the problems no longer occurred – and the animals treated with statins were able to run twice as far as others.

The researchers acknowledge that high levels of exercise may be counterproductive – as 70% of professional athletes cannot tolerate statins.

The research was undertaken at the University of Leeds, UK, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

As well as studying rats, the researchers took muscle biopsies from patients taking statins.

This showed that the drugs compromise ryanodine receptors, proteins which control calcium release in muscle cells.

The researchers say that in general the muscle cells should tolerate the leaks – but some people may be susceptible because of genes or lifestyle.

Researcher Dr Sarah Calaghan, from Leeds, said: “The idea that exercise makes statin side effects worse might be a misconception - what really matters is the intensity of exercise. We found that moderate exercise cancelled out the changes in muscle cells caused by statins. We know around seven in ten professional athletes can’t tolerate statins – and we know that intense endurance exercise has profound effects on the gatekeeper proteins targeted by statins. The added effect of statins could push muscles over the edge, leading to symptoms.

“The good news is, after twenty years of searching, we finally have an explanation for statin-associated muscle pain, along with a possible solution. If you weren’t convinced to exercise already, here’s another reason.”

Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, added: “Identifying how statins affect muscle cell biology is the first step in preventing potential muscle side effects – and ensuring that people who are susceptible to those side effects do not miss out on the protection afforded by statins."

JACC: Basic to Translational Science 27 August 2019

Tags: Fitness | Heart Health | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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