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Statins and Diabetes: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

  • Statin Drugs (MB Clearfield, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The ability for statins to reduce major cardiovascular events and mortality has lead to this drug class being the most commonly prescribed in the world. In particular, the benefit of these drugs in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is well established. In February 2012, the Food and Drug Administration released changes to statin safety label to include that statins have been associated with increases in hemoglobin A1C and fasting serum glucose levels. This has stirred much debate in the medical community. Estimate for new onset diabetes from statin treatment is approximately one in 255 patients over four years. The number needed to treat for statin benefit is estimated at one in 40 depending on the population. The mechanism of this link remains unknown. Statins may accelerate progression to diabetes via molecular mechanisms that impact insulin resistance and cellular metabolism of carbohydrates. It remains clear that the benefit of statin therapy outweighs the risk of developing diabetes.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Disclosure

K. Axsom: none; J.S. Berger: none; A.Z. Schwartzbard: Speaker bureaus for Merck and Takeda

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, 530 First Avenue, Skirball 9U, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Kelly Axsom, Jeffrey S. Berger & Arthur Z. Schwartzbard

  2. VA New York Harbor Health Care System, Section Non-Invasive Cardiology, 423 E 23rd Street, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Arthur Z. Schwartzbard

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  1. Kelly Axsom
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  2. Jeffrey S. Berger
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  3. Arthur Z. Schwartzbard
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Correspondence to Jeffrey S. Berger.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Statin Drugs

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Axsom, K., Berger, J.S. & Schwartzbard, A.Z. Statins and Diabetes: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown. Curr Atheroscler Rep 15, 299 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-012-0299-z

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