title: Drug-drug Interactions of Statins Potentially Leading to Muscle-Related Side Effects in Hospitalized Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The associations of drugs that may interact with the statins resulting in elevated serum concentration of the statins are an important risk factor for statin induced muscle disorders. We aimed to determine the prevalence of these associations in all hospitalized patients that had been prescribed statins before/during hospitalization and to find out how often they are associated with muscle-related side effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective, non-interventional study performed in two internal medicine departments included patients with statin therapy before/during hospitalization. Data on each patient demographic characteristics, co-morbidities and treatment was collected from medical charts and interviews. We evaluated patients' therapy for the targeted associations using Thomson Micromedex Drug Interactions checker and we ranked the identified drug-drug interactions (DDIs) accordingly. Each patient with statin treatment before admission was additionally interviewed in order to identify muscular symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 109 patients on statin treatment we found 35 potential (p) DDIs of statins in 30 (27.5%) patients, most of which were in the therapy before admission (27 pDDIs). The pDDIs were moderate (20 pDDIs) and major (15 pDDIs). Of the total number of pDDIs, 24 were targeting the muscular system. The drugs most frequently involved in the statins' pDDIs were amiodarone and fenofibrate. Two of the patients with pDDIs reported muscle pain, both having additional risk factors for statin induced muscular effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of statins' pDDIs was high in our study, mostly in the therapy before admission, with only a small number of pDDIs resulting in clinical outcome.
authors.forename: Camelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucsa
authors.forename: Andreea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farcas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leucuta
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mogosan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bojita
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Dumitrascu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors