Statin Adherence Linked to New Onset Diabetes Risk

Jul 25, 2014
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Italian researchers find correlation….

In a cohort study, Giovanni Corrao and colleagues from the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, evaluated 115,709 individuals recently diagnosed with diabetes and treated with statins during the time period of 2003-2004 and followed prospectively until 2010.

During this period, patients who began therapy with an antidiabetic agent or were hospitalized for a main diagnosis of type 2 diabetes were identified (outcome). Adherence was measured by the proportion of days covered (PDC) with statins. A proportional hazards model was fitted to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the exposure-outcome association, after adjusting for several covariates. A set of sensitivity analyses was performed to account for sources of systematic uncertainty.

During follow-up, 11,154 cohort members experienced the outcome. Compared with patients with very-low adherence (PDC <25%), those with low (26–50%), intermediate (51–75%), and high (≥75%) adherence to statin therapy had HRs (95% CIs) of 1.12 (1.06–1.18), 1.22 (1.14–1.27), and 1.32 (1.26–1.39), respectively.

The researchers concluded that in a real-world setting, the risk of new-onset diabetes rises as adherence with statin therapy increases. However, the benefits of statins in reducing cardiovascular events clearly overwhelm the diabetes risk.

Practice Pearls:

Studies have shown an increased risk for new onset diabetes mellitus with increased adherence to statin use.
More studies are needed to confirm the nature of the relationship between statins and new onset of diabetes.

Corrao G, Ibrahim B, Nicotra F, et al. Statins and the Risk of Diabetes: Evidence From a Large Population-Based Cohort Study. Diabetes Care. 2014 June 26