title: Statins and polyneuropathy revisited: case-control study in Denmark, 1999-2013.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In a previous study, we found a positive association between statin use and polyneuropathy risk. Other studies reported equivocal results. The present study aimed to confirm our findings with a design similar to that used in our previous study but with a larger data set.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched medical registry data to identify patients diagnosed with incident polyneuropathy of no known cause (idiopathic polyneuropathy) between 1999 and 2013; we verified diagnoses through medical records. For each case, we recruited 20 general population controls with no previous history of polyneuropathy. Controls were matched to their respective case for age and gender. We ascertained the prior statin use of cases and controls through a prescription registry. Based on this information, exposure to statins was categorized into 'ever use' or 'never use'. Ever use of statins was classified by how recently they had been used ('current use' or 'past use'); current use was further classified into long-term use (5+ years) and high- or low-intensity use. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine associations between polyneuropathy and statin use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 370 validated cases and 7400 controls. Ever use of statins was not associated with an elevated risk of polyneuropathy (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.84, 1.54). Similarly, we found no associations between polyneuropathy risk and current use (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.79, 1.53), long-term use (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.66, 1.92) or high-intensity statin use (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.59, 1.84).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statin use was not associated with an increased risk of idiopathic polyneuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Toke de Koning
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Svendsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nørregaard Hansen
authors.affiliation: Centro Español de Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica (CEIFE), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis Alberto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: García Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren Hein
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sindrup
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaist
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
keywords: adverse effects; case-control study; epidemiology; polyneuropathy; risk factors; statin