A new study from Johns Hopkins University has raised fresh concerns about rosuvastatin, a common drug used to lower cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance in the blood, and high levels can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
To prevent these problems, millions of people around the world take medicines called statins. Rosuvastatin is one of the most widely used statins because it is very effective at lowering “bad” cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol.
However, the new research suggests that taking high doses of this drug may increase the risk of kidney damage, especially in people who already have kidney problems.
The kidneys are two small organs that clean the blood, remove waste, and control fluid levels in the body. When the kidneys are not working well, harmful substances can build up and cause serious illness. Doctors have long known that some medicines can affect the kidneys, but the risks are not always clear at the time a drug is first approved.
When rosuvastatin was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there were already reports that some people developed blood in their urine or protein in their urine after taking the drug.
Blood in urine can be a warning sign that the kidneys are irritated or injured, and protein in urine can suggest that the kidneys are leaking important substances that should stay in the body. Still, there was not enough real‑world research to know how often these problems happened or how serious they were.
To better understand the risks, researchers looked at electronic health records from hospitals and clinics between 2011 and 2019. They compared people who started taking rosuvastatin with those who took another popular statin called atorvastatin.
The study was very large, including more than 150,000 people who used rosuvastatin and nearly 800,000 who used atorvastatin. By following these patients for three years, the researchers could see how many developed kidney problems over time.
The results showed that a small but important number of rosuvastatin users developed signs of kidney trouble. About 2.9 percent had blood in their urine, and 1 percent had protein in their urine.
When compared with people taking atorvastatin, rosuvastatin users had an 8 percent higher risk of blood in the urine and a 17 percent higher risk of protein in the urine. Even more concerning, they had a 15 percent higher risk of severe kidney failure, a condition that may require dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
The danger was greater for people taking high doses of rosuvastatin. This was especially worrying for patients who already had kidney disease, because their kidneys were already weak.
The study found that many of these high‑risk patients were given doses higher than the FDA recommends for people with poor kidney function. This suggests that doctors and patients may need to pay closer attention to dosage, especially for those who already have kidney issues.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that rosuvastatin and atorvastatin worked equally well at lowering cholesterol and protecting heart health. This means that for some patients, switching to a different statin could lower the risk to the kidneys without losing the benefits for the heart.
The findings do not mean that people should stop taking rosuvastatin on their own, but they do highlight the importance of talking with a doctor about the safest option.
This study shows why medicines need to be monitored even after they are approved and widely used. As more data becomes available, doctors can adjust treatment plans to make them safer.
For now, experts say that high doses of rosuvastatin should be used carefully, especially in people with kidney disease. Patients should also report any unusual symptoms, such as changes in urine, to their doctor.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent recurrence of kidney stones, and eating nuts linked to lower risk of chronic kidney disease and death.
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