Muscle Characteristics Associated With Statin Therapy

Statins have been proven to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality in large clinical trials but remain underutilized partly due to the associated myopathy. Severe reactions manifested as rhabdomyolysis are rare but myalgia is commonly noted in clinical practice. The pathophysiology of these events remains obscure. Previous studies suggest that statins block the downstream products (such as cellular signaling molecules) of the mevalonate pathway needed for normal muscle function. Other studies show that statins are associated with gene expressions involved in muscle damage such as atrogin-1. We will quantify these entities pre and post statin therapy to better understand these reactions.