As many as 25 percent of Americans over age 45 take cholesterol-lowering medications called statins, according to the April 2011 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. Although statins effectively reduce the cardiac risks of high cholesterol, the drugs can also cause severe kidney damage by damaging muscle. Damaged muscle releases toxic substances that can damage the kidneys. If you take a statin medication, report muscle pain -- particularly if severe -- to your doctor immediately.
Symptoms
Statin drugs can cause microscopic damage to muscles. Between 5 and 10 percent of people taking statins report muscle pain, with some estimates reporting that as many as 33 percent experience muscle pain or weakness, according to Consumer Reports. Severe muscle damage causes muscle breakdown called rhabdomyolysis. If you have this condition, a substance called myoglobin escapes from the muscle fibers. Myoglobin damages the tissues in the kidney as it filters through. Damaged muscle also draws in fluid from the bloodstream, causing shock, which reduces blood flow to the kidneys.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, joint pain or weight gain. Your urine may turn red or tea or cola colored due to the presence of myoglobin. Fever, nausea, vomiting and rapid heartbeat can also occur. Between 10 and 50 percent of people who develop rhabdomyolysis go into acute kidney failure, according to a joint report published in the April 2005 issue of "Critical Care." Blood tests may reveal elevated creatine phosphokinase levels.
Treatment
Treatments for rhabdomyolysis with kidney damage include fluid replacement to wash the myoglobin out of the body more quickly and treatment of electrolyte abnormalities. Accumulation of potassium due to poor kidney function can lead to cardiac arrest. You may need dialysis to filter toxins out of the body until your kidneys recover.
Prognosis
Rhabdomyolysis can lead to chronic kidney disease. After recovery, you may continue to have muscle pain or fatigue. Mild cases of rhabdomyolysis generally resolve within a few weeks to a month. Diuretics and bicarbonate may be used in some cases if you have adequate urine output. The incidence of death from rhabdomyolysis in people taking statins is 0.15 out of 1 million prescriptions, according to the April 2005 "Critical Care" article.
References
- Harvard Health Letter; Statin Use is Up, Cholesterol levels are Down: Are Americans' Hearts Benefiting? Peter Wehrwein; April 2011
- MedlinePlus; Rhabdomyolysis; Parul Patel, M.D.; August 2009
- Consumer Reports; FDA Links Zocor to Muscle Damage, Especially in Women; June 2011
- "Critical Care"; Bench-to-Bedside Review: Rhabdomyolysis -- An Overview for Clinicians; Ana L Huerta-Alardín, et al.; April 2005
