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Commentary on: Ridker PM Pradhan A MacFadyen JG . Cardiovascular benefits and diabetes risks of statin therapy in primary prevention: an analysis from the JUPITER trial . Lancet 2012; 380 : 565 - 71 .
Context
Statins effectively reduce cardiovascular risk. Although generally safe, their use has been associated with muscle discomfort, myopathy, neuropathy and, rarely, rhadbomyolysis. Since February 2012, statin labels carry a new warning: their use is associated with elevated blood glucose levels.
Whereas the mechanism remains unknown, several meta-analyses have substantiated the relationship between statin use and elevation of blood glucose levels. As glucose levels rise, some (those close to the threshold at the outset) will cross the arbitrary threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes. Meta-analyses have reported an increase in the risk of the diagnosis of diabetes of about 10-15% versus placebo with low-dose statins, 1 2 and of an additional 10-15% with high-dose statins. 3
Methods
The Justification for Use of statins in Prevention trials: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) is a randomised trial of 17 802 participants without cardiovascular disease or...