Inflammatory myopathy associated with statins: report of three cases

Abstract

Statins are well-established lipid-lowering drugs that reduce morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cause adverse effects relatively rarely. It is still unclear whether statins are capable of inducing an immune-mediated response directed against skeletal muscle. Here, we present the cases of three patients who developed inflammatory myopathy in the course of statin treatment. Moreover, multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions were found in two of them. The ability of statins to induce an immune-mediated response and their interactions with mitochondrial metabolism pathways are discussed.

Keywords:

• Drug-induced myopathy
• Muscle biopsy
• Inflammatory myopathy
• Statins

Acknowledgments

Supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic project for the conceptual development of research organization 00064203 (University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic).

Conflict of interest

None.