High potency statins pose significantly higher risk of kidney injury than low potency, say experts

Patients taking high potency statins for high blood pressure are at a 34% higher risk of being hospitalized for acute kidney injury (AKI), compared with those taking low potency statins, a paper published today (March 20) on bmj.com suggests.

The use of statins is often recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among high risk patients. However, it still remains unclear as to whether statin therapy is specifically associated with greater adverse renal effects.

Researchers from across Canada therefore carried out an observational analysis, comparing patients who were prescribed high potency statins to those who were prescribed low potency statins in seven Canadian provinces and two international databases (UK and USA) between 1997 and 2008. The health records of 2 million people were used from the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES) for those with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD). All patients were aged 40 or over. The mean age was 68 years.