Discontinuation of Statins in Routine Care Settings
Authors: Danijela Gnjidic, David G. Le Couteur, Sarah N. Hilmer
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

LettersJuly 2, 2013Discontinuation of Statins in Routine Care SettingsDanijela Gnjidic, PhD, MPH, David G. Le Couteur, MBBS, PhD, and Sarah N. Hilmer, MBBS, PhDDanijela Gnjidic, PhD, MPHFrom University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, David G. Le Couteur, MBBS, PhDFrom University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, and Sarah N. Hilmer, MBBS, PhDFrom University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-1-201307020-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read Zhang and colleagues’ article (1), which concludes that statin-related adverse events are tolerable and that patients should be rechallenged with statins, with great interest. Drawing such conclusions from observational studies may be limited, because the safety, efficacy, and effects of withdrawing statins were not considered in this setting.Although statin rechallenge may be justified for some patients, it may not be appropriate for those with limited evidence of statin efficacy and well-documented risk for harm, such as older patients (2). In persons older than 75 years, the role of statins in primary prevention of cardiovascular ...References1. Zhang H, Plutzky J, Skentzos S, Morrison F, Mar P, Shubina M, et al. Discontinuation of statins in routine care settings: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158:526-34 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Hilmer SN and Gnjidic D. Statins in older adults. Australian Prescriber. 2013;36:79-82. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. Taylor F, Huffman MD, Macedo AF, Moore TH, Burke M, Davey Smith G, et al. Statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;1:CD004816. [PMID: 23440795] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Golomb BA, Evans MA, Dimsdale JE, and White HL. Effects of statins on energy and fatigue with exertion: results from a randomized controlled trial [Letter]. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172:1180-2. [PMID: 22688574] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Padala KP, Padala PR, McNeilly DP, Geske JA, Sullivan DH, and Potter JF. The effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on cognition in patients with Alzheimer's dementia: a prospective withdrawal and rechallenge pilot study. Am J Geriatr Pharmacother. 2012;10:296-302. [PMID: 22921881] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Danijela Gnjidic, PhD, MPH; David G. Le Couteur, MBBS, PhD; Sarah N. Hilmer, MBBS, PhDAffiliations: From University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Disclosures: Dr. Le Couteur: Expert testimony: Australian Federal Government Department of Health. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDiscontinuation of Statins in Routine Care Settings Huabing Zhang , Jorge Plutzky , Stephen Skentzos , Fritha Morrison , Perry Mar , Maria Shubina , and Alexander Turchin Discontinuation of Statins in Routine Care Settings Piet C. de Groen Discontinuation of Statins in Routine Care Settings Thomas W. LeBlanc , Jean S. Kutner , Christine S. Ritchie , and Amy P. Abernethy Discontinuation of Statins in Routine Care Settings Huabing Zhang , Jorge Plutzky , and Alexander Turchin Metrics July 2, 2013Volume 159, Issue 1Page: 73-74KeywordsAdverse eventsAge groupsAlzheimer diseaseCardiovascular diseasesClinical trialsCognitionDementiaFatigueObservational studiesPilot studiesSafetyStatins ePublished: 2 July 2013 Issue Published: July 2, 2013 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...