Flu-like response on statins.
BACKGROUND
Statins became one of the most widely used family of drugs meanwhile. Myopathy in various forms is among the most prevalent side effects. Only few attention has been paid to its various forms of appearance. We are reporting on a so far unknown flu-like response on statins with very severe symptoms of exhaustion, weakness, aching muscles and joints elevated acute phase response markers and sometimes even subfebrile body temperature.


METHODS
The 5 patients (4 males, 1 female) we monitored showed this response to some but not all the available statins with an onset of latest 3 weeks after starting therapy.


RESULTS
Symptoms appeared already at the lowest available dose of the respective statin. Only in 3 of the patients, CK-elevation was noted, while 4 of them exhibited a severe increase in 8-epi-prostaglandin-F(2 alpha), an in-vivo oxidation injury marker. Latest 5 weeks after statin withdrawal the symptoms completely disappeared. Liver function parameters remained normal in all the patients at all time.


CONCLUSIONS
Misinterpretation of this flu-like response is particularly dangerous as the treatment with antibiotics initiated in one of the patients may have had deleterious consequences. The pathophysiological background of this response remains to be assessed.
Sinzinger
Helmut
H
Wilhelm Auerswald Atherosclerosis Research Group (ASF), Vienna, Austria. helmut.sinzinger@univie.ac.at
D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000139:chemically induced; D000328:Adult; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D010100:Oxygen