Side effects of statins prevent older adults from keeping fit: Study

Muscle pain, fatigue, and weakness are common side effects in patients prescribed statins, according to a new study. The study suggests that physical activity is important for older adults to remain healthy. The authors used the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study to examine the relationship between self-reported physical activity and statin use with seven years of follow-up. The average age of the men in the study was nearly 73 years.

Of the 3,039 men included in the longitudinal analysis, 727 (24 percent) were statin users at baseline and 1,467 (48 percent) never used a statin during the follow-up period. About one-quarter of the men (n=845) first reported using a statin during the follow-up. Scores on a self-reported physical activity questionnaire declined by an average of 2.5 points per year for nonusers and 2.8 points per year for prevalent users, a difference that was not statistically significant. (Read: Should statins should be taken by all over-40s to keep cholesterol levels in check?)

For new users, annual scores declined at a faster rate than nonusers. A total of 3,071 men (1,542 of them statin users) had accelerometry data (a measure of movement). Statin users expended less metabolic equivalents (METS); engaged in less moderate physical activity with 5.4 fewer minutes per day; less vigorous activity with 0.6 fewer minutes per day and had more sedentary behavior with 7.6 more minutes per day. (Read: Discovery shows statins could fight cancer)

What are statins?

Statins are a class of drugs that are prescribed for lowering the levels of cholesterol in the blood. When the blood cholesterol levels are high, cholesterol gets deposited on the walls of the arteries along with other fatty substances to form a plaque. This deposition is linked to a number of diseases and conditions includingatherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attack. Statins act by blocking or obstructing a substance in the liver that is required to synthesize cholesterol. When the synthesis of cholesterol by the liver is inhibited, cholesterol from the blood is absorbed which causes a drop and prevents further blocks in the blood vessels. Commonly used statins include atorvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin and pravastatin. Statins are usually the first line of treatment provided to patients with high cholesterol because apart from lowering cholesterol they also work to enhance the functioning of blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, improve plaque stability as well as reduce stress on the cells. The 2014 guidelines on cholesterol (published by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), suggests that patients who have a  10 year risk of heart disease greater than 7.5 should be prescribed statins.

Source: http://www.thehealthsite.com