Rosuvastatin Linked to Signs of Kidney Damage

Higher doses of rosuvastatin may have lasting and damaging effects on the kidneys, according to a study published in JASN based on patient health records.¹

Rosuvastatin is in the statin class of drugs indicated to lower high cholesterol.¹ Lower cholesterol in the blood can prevent heart attacks, strokes, and can even reduce the risk of heart disease fatality by 25%-35%.²

Functioning kidneys balance water and minerals in the blood and remove waste from blood.³ Damage to this organ creates dysbiosis because of waste and fluid buildup in the body.³ Common symptoms of damage include shortness of breath, swollen ankles, nausea, weakness, and poor sleep, but too much damage could cause life-threatening kidney failure.³

Other signs of kidney damage include hematuria and proteinuria, which were observed when rosuvastatin was approved by the FDA.¹ For the study, Jung-Im Shin, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and colleagues examined electronic health record data from 2011-2019. Shin compared 152,101 new rosuvastatin users with 795,799 new users of a similar statin, atorvastatin.¹

Researchers discovered that 2.9% of rosuvastatin patients experienced hematuria and 1.0% had proteinuria over 3.1 years of median follow-ups.¹ Rosuvastatin was associated with a 17% higher risk of proteinuria than atorvastatin, along with posing an 8% higher risk of hematuria and 15% risk of kidney failure, which requires dialysis or transplantation replacement therapies.¹

Researchers also discovered that physicians were overprescribing the recommended dose of rosuvastatin, as determined by the FDA, to patients with advanced kidney disease.¹ Researchers found that patients’ risk of developing hematuria and proteinuria grew when the dose increased, and based off the study, 44% of patients were taking a higher dose than approved.¹

“We observed a higher risk of hematuria, proteinuria, as well as kidney failure with rosuvastatin use and similar cardiovascular benefits between the rosuvastatin and atorvastatin groups,” Shin said.¹ “Because rosuvastatin may cause proteinuria and hematuria, especially with high dose, high dose rosuvastatin may not merit the risk—even if small—particularly for patients with advanced kidney disease.”¹

Statins block the liver enzyme function associated with producing cholesterol.² Statins decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels while inversely raising healthy high-density lipoprotein cholesterol that transports LDL out of the blood to be eliminated by the liver.²

References

1. Real-world data links rosuvastatin with signs of kidney damage. Eurkekalert. News Rekease. July 19, 2022. Accessed July 21, 2022. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958785.

2. Fulgham Bruce PhD, Debra. Statin Side Effects. WebMD. Article. September 14, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2022. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/side-effects-of-statin-drugs#:~:text=Statins%20are%20a%20class%20of,about%2025%25%20to%2035%25.

3. Kidney Disease. WebMD. Article. Medically Reviewed August 08, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2022. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-kidney-disease-basic-information#:~:text=When%20your%20kidneys%20are%20damaged,it%20can%20be%20life%2Dthreatening.