Statin drugs linked to greater development of diabetes

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In a new study from the VA North Texas Health Care System, researchers found for individuals with diabetes, statin initiation is linked to diabetes progression.

They 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 tested

The researchers found that the diabetes progression outcome (new insulin initiation, increase in the number of glucose-lowering medication classes, the 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% of statin users and active comparators, respectively.

Among statin users, each individual component of the composite outcome was much higher.

In a secondary analysis, the team found a dose-response link, with a higher intensity of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering linked to a greater progression of diabetes.

The researchers suggest that further research is needed to form a risk-tailored approach to balancing the cardiovascular benefits of statin therapy with its risk of diabetes progression.

If you care about diabetes and your health, please read studies about these healthy foods may help lower risk of type 2 diabetes and findings of these two common beverages may lower death risk in diabetes.

For more information about diabetes prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about new vaccine that can benefit older people and people with diabetes and results showing how to effectively protect brain health if you have diabetes.

The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine. One author of the study is Ishak A. Mansi, M.D.

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