Statins Increase Diabetes Risk Substantially in Older Women

The link between statins and diabetes has been well-established for years now, but most studies have focused on the general population, without recognizing gender differences and the biological changes the body undergoes as we age. Recent studies have begun to zero in on individual population cohorts, and we are beginning to understand that statins are particularly dangerous for certain people.

A study appearing in the journal Drugs and Aging looked at the effects of statins on women over the age of 70. Statins are most commonly prescribed to people over the age of 50, as younger people are less likely to have high cholesterol. According to this study, elderly women who are prescribed statins have a 33 percent higher incidence of developing Type II diabetes.

Though high cholesterol carries with it a variety of health risks, diabetes is associated with just as many if not more complications. Diabetic retinopathy and compromised circulation are just two examples of the health issues diabetics often face. Trading one disease for another is always a risky proposition, and paying good money for statins when you are not lowering your overall mortality risk doesn’t make a lot of sense.

As more and more information comes in regarding the link between statins and diabetes, questioning the safety of continuing to prescribe them at such high rates makes sense. It is a physician’s responsibility to evaluate the pros and cons of any treatment. Statins have become a thoughtless prescription for many doctors, one they write without thinking of the overall health of the patient.

If you or someone you love has developed diabetes after being prescribed statins or another pharmaceutical, please consider having your case evaluated by an experienced attorney. Physicians owe it to their patients to keep the individual’s overall health in mind, and the first creed of being a doctor is “Do no harm.”