Gene Variation Linked To Negative Side Effects Of Statins
July 24, 2008
Boston (dbTechno) - According to a new study, side effects experienced by people who take cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins may be caused by a common gene variation.
The side effects include weakness, as well as muscle pain experienced by many people taking the statins.
The study was led by Rory Collins, a British Heart Foundation professor at Oxford University.
The team of British scientists revealed that a variation of the DNA code of a gene known as SLCO1B1 is responsible for 60% of the cases of myopathy.
Myopathy is known for its severe muscle pain and weakness, and is usually experienced by people to take statins in very high doses.
Scientists, reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine, believe that the gene variant has a major impact on the statin, allowing high levels of the drug to stay in the blood.
The hope is that with this new knowledge, scientists will be able to develop a blood test to see if people are at high risk of the side effect.
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