Uncle jack was hospitalized last week. The examination said he had liver failure. It was said that he usually had no liver disease. However, he had high blood lipids and discovered atherosclerotic plaques, but he had been taking statins to control them.
Unexpectedly, the doctor said that Uncle Chen’s liver failure was caused by taking medicine! But isn’t statin a treatment for blood lipids? How come it’s so powerful?
1. The more you eat statins, the more uncomfortable they become. Are there really side effects?
When many people take statins, they are always worried that the statins will damage the liver, so they stop taking the medicine on their own when their condition is slightly stable. In fact, this is very risky!
To know The greatest effect of statins is to prevent and treat plaque , Don’t underestimate this plaque. Many people have severe stenosis or even occlusion of blood vessels, inducing angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or cerebral infarction. This is what it does.
And statins mainly reduce plaque production by inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol by the liver, but clinically some people have liver side effects after taking statins, so many people feel that statins “damage the liver” and dare not take medicine.
In fact, statin liver damage is not an inevitable process. In 2020, a relevant clinical trial investigation found that The risk of hepatotoxicity during statin administration is related to the dose taken , “It is normal for transaminases to be slightly elevated after taking statin normally”.
Generally, it can resolve on its own, and only 3% of people may experience more than 3 times more than the safe range , “If statins cause severe liver damage, there may be 1-2 cases per 100,000 people. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor liver function in the early stage of statin medication to avoid most risks”.
As for side effects such as muscle pain, abnormal liver function and risk of diabetes, which may clearly be caused by taking statins, it can only be said that the risk is there but not at a high rate.
Moreover, statins are currently an important basic drug for treating hyperlipidemia and preventing cardiovascular diseases. In the latest “2025 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Adult Dyslipidemia Drugs” released by the American Society of Clinical Endocrinology this year, it is believed that Statin is still a first-line drug for reducing blood lipid levels and preventing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
2. Can long-term statins cause cancer? Research tells you the answer
There have been many claims on the Internet that eating too much statin can cause cancer. It is reported that research has found that statin can reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein in the human body. When this indicator is lower than 100mg/dl, the risk of liver cancer will be higher. 2.59 times, and the risk of digestive tract cancer will also rise to 1.03 times There is also the risk of pancreatic cancer and cervical cancer that is 1.97 times and 0.92 times higher than others, respectively.
Although the appearance of malignancies is often accompanied by a decrease in cholesterol, this is not considered a risk of cancer due to statin treatment. And a meta-analysis found that, Using statins to lower LDL cholesterol levels to 0.5 mmo/L also reduces cancer risk.
“And eating statins may have a liver-protecting effect”, a Harvard-Ulsan University study in South Korea gave evidence in a study in the journal JAMA Internal Medcine.
The researchers collected clinical data from 16,501 patients with chronic liver disease problems from 2000 to 2023 who came from within the Brigham Health System of Massachusetts General Hospital. Among these participants were statin users and statin non-users, and evaluated These people’s 10-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer and cirrhosis were found to reduce the incidence of liver cancer in patients with chronic liver disease.
The data show that among the participants taking statins, the The 10-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer decreased from 8.2% to 3.8% , In addition, in terms of reducing the risk of decompensated liver cirrhosis, statin users are also better than those who do not take statins The risk was reduced from 19.5% to 10.6%.
Moreover, as early as 2023, Jiaotong University published research results in the Nature sub-journal showing the chemopreventive effect of statins on colorectal cancer. In experimental mouse models, atorvastatin had a positive effect in reducing the number and volume of intestinal tumors.
Although there are many studies now that have found how statins perform in cancer prevention, it does not mean that normal people or patients with chronic liver disease can use statins to fight cancer, but that they should take the medicine on demand as directed by their doctor.
3. People who take statins for a long time must pay attention to these three things!
In addition to lowering blood lipids, statins also have anti-arteriosclerotic effects. Studies have found that the longer statins are treated, the smaller the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients. Therefore, in the absence of abnormal reactions, it is recommended to take statins for a long time, and be careful not to think that If the blood lipids are stable, you can eat them in reduced amounts, which may not only affect the efficacy of the medicine, but also increase the risk of other side effects In addition, there are these precautions to be careful when taking statins:
1. Take good care of your life
During the long-term use of statins, you should also pay attention to life management. In addition to necessary healthy diet, exercise, etc., you should also avoid ingesting contraindications such as tobacco, alcohol, grapefruit juice, etc., which may cause adverse reactions with statins. In addition, for people who are prone to muscle adverse reactions to statins, in the absence of severe elevation of creatine kinase and need to discontinue the drug, daily attention should be paid to hydration to alleviate other adverse reactions.
2. Do not increase the dose at will
Some people think that the more you take the medicine, the better it will be, in fact, increasing the amount of medicine will enhance the efficacy of the medicine and also increase the risk of other adverse reactions. Especially statins are highly sensitive among Chinese people. After taking statins, they are prone to excessive blood concentration and increase other toxic and side effects.
3. Pay attention to blood sugar and gastrointestinal reactions
When taking statins for a long time, you should also pay attention to monitoring blood sugar. Clinically, many patients taking statins may experience abnormal increases in blood sugar, especially those who have a relevant medical history or are obese. They should also pay close attention to blood sugar changes; in addition, statins It may also cause various gastrointestinal discomfort reactions such as diarrhea and nausea during the course of taking it. If you cannot adjust it on your own, you may need to adjust your medication plan.
Therefore, although statins are good, you should not take them casually. You must master these precautions to avoid adding other health risks during the medication process.
With more than 20 years of experience in Neurosurgery, Dr. Arun Saroha has an expertise in treating brain & spine disorders like Degenerative Spine Disorders, Brain Tumors, Disc Replacements, Paediatric Neurosurgeries and many more. Prior to joining Max Healthcare he was associated as Head-Neurosurgery at Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon. So far he has performed more than eight thousand surgeries successfully.
