What damage can statins do to the liver?
Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.
How much can statins raise liver enzymes?
Standard doses of statins elevate liver enzymes in about 1 percent of patients, usually within the first four months. The likelihood of this elevation increases in older people and in those taking other medications that might interact with statins or also raise liver enzymes.
Which statin is safest for liver?
Doctor’s response. Low dose statins like atorvastatin (Lipitor) are safe in patients with mild liver disease (for example, patients with fatty liver and mildly abnormal liver tests in the blood such as ALT and AST).
Why are statins so bad?
Their review found statins decrease energy and fitness, and increase fatigue and sleep problems. They also found that statins may increase the risk of muscle aches and pains, kidney and liver problems, bleeding in the brain, and type 2 diabetes.
Do statins cause more harm than good?
Researchers warn that unless a patient is at high risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, statins may cause more harm than good’.
Can Atorvastatin damage your liver?
Statins may occasionally be associated with mild transaminase elevations but can also result in life-threatening liver injury. Atorvastatin is the most common cause of clinically significant liver injury in this drug class.
When should you check liver function after starting statins?
Before starting to take statins, you should have a blood test to ensure your liver is in a relatively good condition. You should also have a routine blood test to check the health of your liver 3 months after treatment begins, and again after 12 months.
Can statins cause liver cirrhosis?
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data on statin use and the risk of cirrhosis development as well as the occurrence of cirrhosis-related complications in patients with CLD showed that there is a probable association between statin use and a lower risk of hepatic decompensation and mortality, and …
Can statins reverse fatty liver?
Statin therapy like atorvastatin (Lipitor), (rosuvastatin) Crestor or simvastatin (Zocor), have been shown to be safe in patients with NAFLD. This is important—even if your liver function tests are abnormal from fatty liver changes, you can take statins, and the medications can often improve fatty liver.
What is the natural alternative to statins?
Natural alternatives to statins include soy products like tofu and edamame. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35 million Americans have high LDL, also known as bad cholesterol. This greatly increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Are there any side effects of taking a statin?
The Liver Panel could find “no direct evidence of death due to liver failure caused by statin therapy.” This does not mean that statins will not elevate the liver enzymes because this is a known side effect.
Is there a link between statins and liver failure?
Acute liver failure (ALF) develops in a very small minority of persons who are taking statins; indeed, the incidence is not different from that in the general population.9The overall risk of DILI with statin use is estimated to be approximately 1 in 100,000 with the estimated risk of ALF being approximately 1 in 1,000,000.
Which is the best statin for liver injury?
Statins and Liver Injury. As a class, statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs worldwide. Lovastatin was the first statin introduced (in 1987); since then, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, atorvastatin, cerivastatin, rosuvastatin, and pitavastatin (Livalo, Kowa) have been used clinically.
Can a statin increase the alt of a patient?
Thus, an increased ALT in this situation is not a disease. Despite the absence of liver injury from statins, a US survey showed that 50% of academic physicians would be reluctant to give a statin to a patient who presents with an ALT of more than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal.