Statin Initiation Linked to Greater Progression of Diabetes

MONDAY, Oct. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with diabetes, statin initiation is associated with diabetes progression, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Ishak A. Mansi, M.D., from the VA North Texas Health Care System in Dallas, and colleagues examined diabetes progression after statin initiation among patients with diabetes. Data were obtained from patients aged 30 years or older who initiated treatment with statins (statin users) or with H2-blockers or proton pump inhibitors (active comparators); 83,022 pairs of statin users and active comparators were matched.

The researchers found that the diabetes progression outcome (new insulin initiation, increase in the number of glucose-lowering medication classes, incidence of five or more measurements of blood glucose of 200 mg/dL or greater, or a new diagnosis of ketoacidosis or uncontrolled diabetes) occurred in 55.9 and 48.0 percent of statin users and active comparators, respectively (odds ratio, 1.37). Among statin users, each individual component of the composite outcome was significantly higher. In a secondary analysis, the investigators observed a dose-response relationship, with a higher intensity of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering associated with a greater progression of diabetes.

“Further research is needed to form a risk-tailored approach to balancing the cardiovascular benefits of statin therapy with its risk of diabetes progression,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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