Cholesterol is a fatty substance that the body needs to build cells and make hormones.
However, when cholesterol levels become too high, it can build up inside blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
To lower this risk, millions of people around the world take medicines called statins every day.
One of the most commonly used statins is rosuvastatin. It is known for lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol very effectively. A new study, however, suggests that this medicine may have a greater effect on the kidneys than another popular statin called atorvastatin.
The research was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Scientists compared the safety of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin by studying the medical records of more than 900,000 adults who had recently started taking one of these medicines.
Because the study included such a large number of people, it provided valuable information about what happens in everyday medical care.
Both rosuvastatin and atorvastatin reduce the amount of cholesterol made by the liver. Lower cholesterol helps keep blood vessels open and lowers the chance of serious heart disease. Even so, medicines can sometimes affect other parts of the body, and researchers wanted to find out whether the two drugs differed in their effects on kidney health.
The results showed that people taking rosuvastatin were more likely to develop blood in the urine or protein in the urine than people taking atorvastatin. These changes can be early signs that the kidneys are under stress or are not filtering waste from the blood as well as they should.
The study also found that a small number of patients taking rosuvastatin needed kidney replacement treatment, such as dialysis. Although this was uncommon, it suggests that some people may experience more serious kidney problems while using the medicine.
Another important finding was that the risk became higher as the dose of rosuvastatin increased. People taking stronger doses were more likely to have kidney-related side effects than those taking lower doses. This pattern suggests that the amount of medicine a person takes may play a role in the risk.
The findings do not mean that everyone should stop taking rosuvastatin. For many people, lowering cholesterol greatly reduces the risk of life-threatening heart disease, and those benefits may still be much greater than the possible risks. Patients should never stop taking a prescribed medicine without speaking to their doctor.
Doctors usually choose a cholesterol medicine based on a person’s age, overall health, medical history, and other medicines they take. For people who already have kidney disease or other kidney risk factors, these new findings may help doctors decide which statin is the best choice. Regular blood and urine tests can also help detect kidney problems early.
People taking any statin should tell their healthcare provider if they notice unusual symptoms such as swelling, changes in urination, or ongoing tiredness.
More research will help scientists better understand why rosuvastatin may affect the kidneys differently from other statins. Until then, experts continue to recommend taking statins as prescribed and attending regular medical checkups to keep both the heart and kidneys healthy.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how ultra-processed foods and red meat influence your longevity, and why seafood may boost healthy aging.
For more health information, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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