Statins may be associated with skin lesions

This paper was published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 2010 Sep-Oct;14(5):207-11

 

Study title and authors:

Statins and "chameleon-like" cutaneous eruptions: simvastatin-induced acral cutaneous vesiculobullous and pustular eruption in a 70-year-old man.

Adams AE, Bobrove AM, Gilliam AC.

Department of Dermatology and Rheumatology, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Group, Palo Alto, CA, USA.

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20868617

Adams notes that statins are associated with many types of cutaneous eruptions (skin lesions and rashes) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermolytic necrolysis, porphyria cutanea tarda, linear IgA bullous dermatosis, and reaction patterns (lupus and dermatomyositis-like and pustular).

The paper presents the case of a man covered with skin lesions after taking simvastatin (zocor) drugs.

(i) A 70 year old man was prescribed simvastatin and began to suffer with chronic vesiculobullous, see here, and pustular annular lesions, see here, on his arms, legs, hands, and feet.
(ii) After two years the man stopped taking simvastatin and his condition improved.
(iii) He later restarted simvastatin and the lesions recurred.
(iv) He eventually discontinued simvastatin and the lesions cleared.

This case provides evidence that statins may be associated with skin lesions.

Lutein bioavailability from eggs are higher than that from other sources such as supplements and spinach

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2004 Aug;134(8):1887-93

 

Study title and authors:

Lutein bioavailability is higher from lutein-enriched eggs than from supplements and spinach in men.

Chung HY, Rasmussen HM, Johnson EJ.

Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15284371

Chung notes that lutein may be protective against diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.

This study investigated the bioavailability from four sources; (i) lutein supplement, (ii) lutein ester supplement, (iii) spinach, (iv) eggs. The study included ten men who were administered one of the four lutein doses for nine days.

The study found:
(a) Lutein levels rose by 323.4% in the egg consumers.
(b) Lutein levels rose by 140.1% in the spinach consumers.
(c) Lutein levels rose by 82.1% in the lutein supplement consumers.
(d) Lutein levels rose by 81.9% in the lutein ester supplement consumers.

The researchers concluded that lutein bioavailability from eggs are significantly higher than that from other sources such as lutein, lutein ester supplements, and spinach: And that eggs may decrease the risk of certain diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.

Clinicians should be aware of possible adverse cognitive reactions during statin therapy

This paper was published in Pharmacotherapy 2006 Aug;26(8):1190-2

 

Study title and authors:

Short-term memory loss associated with rosuvastatin.

Galatti L, Polimeni G, Salvo F, Romani M, Sessa A, Spina E.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology, Section of Pharmacology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. lgalatti@unime.it

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16863497

This paper reports the case of rosuvastatin-related short-term memory loss.

(i) A 53-year-old man experienced memory loss after being treated with rosuvastatin at 10 mg per day.
(ii) After discontinuation of rosuvastatin, the neuropsychiatric adverse reaction resolved gradually, suggesting a probable drug association.
(iii) During the following year, the patient remained free from neuropsychiatric disturbances.

The lead researcher of the paper, Dr Laura Galatti, concludes that clinicians should be aware of possible adverse cognitive reactions during statin therapy.

Consuming eggs significantly increases levels of lutein and zeaxanthin

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2006 Oct;136(10):2519-24

 

Study title and authors:

Consumption of one egg per day increases serum lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in older adults without altering serum lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.

Goodrow EF, Wilson TA, Houde SC, Vishwanathan R, Scollin PA, Handelman G, Nicolosi RJ.

Center for Health and Disease Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA 01854, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988120

The lead author of the study, Elizabeth Goodrow, notes that lutein and zeaxanthin accumulate in the macular pigment of the retina, and are reported to be associated with a reduced incidence of age-related macular degeneration. A rich source of lutein and zeaxanthin in the American diet is the yolk of chicken eggs.

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of egg consumption on the levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and cholesterol in individuals over 60 years of age. The study included 33 men and women who consumed one egg per day for five weeks.

The study found:
(a) Levels of lutein increased by 26% after five weeks of consuming one egg per day.
(b) Levels of zeaxanthin increased by 38% after five weeks of consuming one egg per day.
(c) Cholesterol levels were not affected throughout the study.

The findings of the study show that consuming one egg per day significantly increases levels of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.

Myasthenic weakness is a potential adverse effect of statins

This paper was published in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand 2011 Feb;94(2):256-8

 

Study title and authors:

Statin-associated myasthenic weakness.

Pasutharnchat N, Phanthumchinda K.

Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. nathpasu@hotmail.com

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21534375

This paper reports of a woman who developed bulbar myasthenia gravis (facial weakness, difficulties in chewing, swallowing, articulation, and breathing, and weakness of the neck muscles) a few weeks after starting statin treatment.

(i) A 50-year-old woman with generalized, limb predominated, myasthenia gravis, whose myasthenia gravis status has been "minimal manifestation" for several years, developed moderately severe fluctuating bulbar myasthenia gravis weakness a few weeks after starting simvastatin of 20 mg per day.
(ii) Simvastatin was discontinued and the symptoms resolved and she was back to her previous status in one month.
(iii) She again started simvastatin, this time at 10 mg per day, and within two weeks bulbar weakness re-occurred.
(iv) The symptoms were again resolved after discontinuation of the statin and she was back to her previous status in two months.

This paper demonstrates that myasthenic weakness is a potential adverse effect of statins. 

Egg yolk consumption is associated with a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration

This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009 Nov;90(5):1272-9

Study title and authors:
Consumption of 2 and 4 egg yolks/d for 5 wk increases macular pigment concentrations in older adults with low macular pigment taking cholesterol-lowering statins.

Vishwanathan R, Goodrow-Kotyla EF, Wooten BR, Wilson TA, Nicolosi RJ.
Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, Center for Health and Disease Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854-5125, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19759170

The carotenoids of the macular pigment, lutein and zeaxanthin, may reduce the risk of dry, age-related macular degeneration, see here, and light induced retinal damage.

Macular pigment optical density is the thickness or density of the macular pigment. Research has shown that a low macular pigment optical density is a key risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, see here, while a high macular pigment optical density not only reduces one’s risk for but also helps to improve visual performance.

Low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration see here.

The study evaluated the levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, macular pigment optical density and HDL cholesterol in 52 adults, aged 60 and over, after the consumption for five weeks of either (i) two egg yolks per day (ii) four egg yolks per day. 

The study found:
(a) Lutein levels increased by 15.4% after consumption of two egg yolks per day, and increased by 28.4% after consumption of four egg yolks per day.
(b) Zeaxanthin levels increased by 36.3% after consumption of two egg yolks per day, and increased by 81.8% after consumption of four egg yolks per day.
(c) Macular pigment optical density levels increased by 3.9% after consumption of two egg yolks per day, and increased by 24.4% after consumption of four egg yolks per day.
(d) High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels increased by 5.4% after consumption of both two and four egg yolks per day.

The results from the study suggest that egg yolk consumption is associated with a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Medical records show that statins are associated with a 14% increased risk of type two diabetes

This study was published in Diabetes Care 2012 Dec 17

Study title and authors:
Statins and Risk of Diabetes: An analysis of electronic medical records to evaluate possible bias due to differential survival.

Danaei G, Rodríguez LA, Cantero OF, Hernán MA.
Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23248196

This study investigated the relationship between statins and type two diabetes. Data was drawn from the medical records of 285,864 men and women aged 50-84 years who were followed for ten years.

The study found that statin therapy was associated with a 14% increased risk of type two diabetes.