In a nutshell
The authors aimed to determine the relationship between statin therapy and glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that there was a dose-response relationship between statin treatment intensity and glycemia.
Some background
Statin therapy involves a class of drugs that help to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. This can help to prevent events such as heart attacks or strokes in susceptible patients. Some studies suggest that the use of statin therapy can increase glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Glycemia is the presence of glucose in the blood. In diabetes, blood glucose can become a serious issue when levels become too high or too low.
Methods & findings
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of statin therapy on glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.
This study involved the records from patients who took part in a previous diabetes study. Group 1 contained 1,296 patients with type 2 diabetes who were screened annually. Group 2 contained 1,551 type 2 diabetes patients who were screened every 2 years in a face-to-face assessment.
6.6% of patients in group 1 were already statin-treated at the start of the study. During follow-up, 319 patients (26.3%) of the remaining 1,210 patients started statin treatment. Of these, 89.3% did not have their diabetes treatment intensified. There was a significant increase of 0.12% in HbA1c (average blood glucose over 3 months) in these patients.
There was a significant change of 0.26% in HbA1c levels in patients receiving moderate-intensity statin treatment. Moderate-intensity treatment included simvastatin (Zocor) of more than 10 and less than 40 mg/d, atorvastatin (Lipitor) of less than 40 mg/d, or rosuvastatin (Crestor) of less than 10 mg/d.
66.4% of group 2 were already statin-treated. During follow-up, 27.4% of the remaining patients started statin treatment. Of these, 78.3% did not have their diabetes treatment intensified. There was a significant HbA1c increase of 0.43% in patients who received atorvastatin. There was also a significant HbA1c increase of 1.05% in patients receiving high-intensity treatment. High-intensity treatment included simvastatin/atorvastatin more than 40 mg/d or rosuvastatin more than 10 mg/d.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that there was a dose-response relationship between statin treatment intensity and glycemia.
Published By :
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Date :
Jun 23, 2016
