A new study refutes previous data that linked cholesterol-lowering drugs to a substantial risk of intolerance. Researchers found the evidence of side effects are “over-estimated and over-diagnosed.” The analysis of 176 studies discovered that as many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduced the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the drugs can cause muscle pain and other side effects. In reality, based on this new blockbuster research, the true prevalence of statin intolerance worldwide is only between 6% and 10%.

According to Study Finds, an international team reporting to the European Society of Cardiology analyzed data from more than four million patients taking statin drugs.

“These results were not a surprise to me, but they were for many other experts,” said lead author Dr. Maciej Banach of the Medical University of Lodz in Poland in a press release. “They show that in most cases statin intolerance is overestimated and over-diagnosed, and that means that around 93% of patients on statin therapy can be treated effectively, with very good tolerability and without any safety issues.”

Stopping statin medications carries grave risks, such as an increase of heart and circulatory problems, because of the buildup of harmful fats or lipids in the blood. This buildup can trigger potentially fatal blood clots. The most common side effects of statins are nausea, headaches, digestive problems, muscle pain, dizziness, and fatigue, says Study Finds

Banach went on to say that physicians should evaluate their patients’ symptoms carefully to see if they are indeed cause by statins or are the result of the perception of the drugs, often called the nocebo or drucebo effect. In 2018, experts introduced the term “drucebo” in relation to statin therapy to explain the development of symptoms in patients that were not due to drugs, but more likely caused by their expectations of side effects.

Banach and his team found that more than 50% of statin symptoms reported by the study subjects were due to the drucebo effect, and not from the drugs themselves. This new study, published in The European Heart Journal, based on the analysis of more than four million patients found that the prevalence of statin intolerance is low, affecting less than 10% of patients.

The authors did find that some people are at greater risk. According to Study Finds, older adults, women, Blacks, Asians, obese individuals, those suffering from diabetes, and people with an underactive thyroid, chronic kidney disease or liver failure are at greater risk for statin intolerance. Some medications to control irregular heartbeat, calcium channel blockers for chest pain and high blood pressure, heavy drinking, and higher doses of statin drugs also increased the risk.

“It is critically important to know about these risk factors so that we can predict effectively that a particular patient is at high risk of statin tolerance,” said Banach. “Then we can consider upfront other ways to treat them in order to reduce the risk and improve adherence to treatment. This could include lower statin doses, combination therapy and use of innovative new drugs.”