Statins are commonly used medications that help lower high cholesterol. One popular statin is rosuvastatin, which is often prescribed to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
However, a new study from Johns Hopkins University has raised concerns about this drug. The research shows that rosuvastatin, especially in higher doses, may increase the risk of kidney problems.
When rosuvastatin was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some early reports suggested it could cause issues like hematuria (blood in the urine) and proteinuria (protein in the urine). Until now, there has been limited real-world evidence to confirm these concerns.
To investigate further, researchers examined electronic health records from 2011 to 2019. They looked at more than 150,000 people who started taking rosuvastatin and compared them with over 795,000 people who took another statin called atorvastatin.
The study followed these individuals for three years. It found that 2.9% of people taking rosuvastatin developed hematuria, and 1.0% had proteinuria.
Compared to atorvastatin users, those on rosuvastatin had an 8% higher risk of blood in the urine, a 17% higher risk of protein in the urine, and a 15% higher risk of serious kidney problems that might require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The risks were even greater for people taking higher doses of rosuvastatin. Alarmingly, 44% of those with advanced kidney disease were prescribed doses higher than what the FDA recommends for people with poor kidney function.
The researchers concluded that while rosuvastatin and atorvastatin provide similar heart benefits, the extra kidney risks associated with rosuvastatin—especially at high doses—may outweigh the advantages, particularly for people who already have kidney problems.
This study, led by Jung-im Shin and her team, was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. It highlights the need for healthcare providers to carefully consider the appropriate dosage of rosuvastatin and monitor patients closely, especially those with existing kidney conditions.
Patients taking rosuvastatin should not stop their medication without consulting their doctor. However, they may want to discuss the risks and benefits of continuing or adjusting their current dose.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies about a big cause of heart failure, and common blood test could advance heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about a new way to repair human heart, and results showing drinking coffee may help reduce heart failure risk.
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