Cholesterol-lowering statins are frequently prescribed for primary and secondary prevention of ischaemic vascular events. Whereas most patients tolerate statins without problems, statin-associated myopathy is well documented, as are several risk factors. We present a case report of an 80-90-year-old man with coronary artery disease who rapidly developed severe rhabdomyolysis during treatment with rosuvastatin while in intensive care. He had several concomitant risk factors for statin-induced myopathy including high dosage, old age, renal and hepatic impairment, and a pharmacogenetic SLCO1B1*1 a/*5 variant. Single known risk factors have a low predictive value for statin-induced myopathy and may therefore be underestimated in clinical practice. However, adverse drug reactions frequently involve the joint action of a multitude of environmental and genetic component causes, and statin-induced myopathy should be regarded as a multicausal event. We therefore advocate a proactive multifactorial risk assessment to guide and individualise statin therapy in high-risk patients.
Keywords: Pharmacovigilance; case reports; critical care; drug-related side effects and adverse reactions; medication systems, hospital; pharmacy service, hospital.
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