Assessment of The Risk Factors for Statin-Related Myopathy in the Indian Population

Statins are widely used hypolipidemic drugs with limitations due to myopathy. Several comorbid factors act as predisposing factors for statin-related myopathy (SRM) and are rarely studied in the Indian population. In this study, we aim to understand the various risk factors involved in the occurrence of SRM, which may give insight towards the management of statin intolerance. A cross-sectional and non-interventional clinical study with 700 subjects, both statin and non-statin users, was conducted. Subjects were enrolled after ethical approval and informed consent. Information on case report forms and blood samples for clinical chemistry investigations were collected. SPSS version 21 was used to collect and analyze data. Based on statistical analysis, we found myopathy in statin users (19%), nonstatin users (11%), and total subjects (16%), respectively. No significant association of myopathy was observed with the female sex, differences in food habits, physical activity, alcohol intake, or comorbid factors like diabetes and hypertension. Smoking is associated with myopathy in pooled subjects, whereas age (>60) is associated with myopathy in statin users. Slight differences in mean values of bilirubin and alanine transferase were observed between myopathic and non-myopathic subjects. Therefore, the study demonstrates that smoking is related to myopathy regardless of statin usage. Statin users over 60 were shown to be at a greater risk for myopathy than non-statin users.