Statins may worsen symptoms in some

BOSTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Cholesterol lowering statin drugs used to prevent heart attacks and strokes may have negative effects on some cardiac patients, U.S. researchers say.

Lawrence P. Cahalin of Northeastern University in Boston found that statins have beneficial effects on patients with systolic heart failure, but those with diastolic heart failure experienced the opposite effect, including increased dyspnea, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance.

"Systolic heart failure is most often due to coronary artery disease and appears to have more of an inflammatory component than diastolic heart failure," Cahalin said in a statement.

"It is possible that statins would help patients with systolic heart failure more than patients with diastolic heart failure due to the cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects of statins."

A non-statin group -- 82 percent of patients had diastolic heart failure -- of 75 patients was compared with a statin group -- 72 percent of patients had diastolic heart failure -- of 61 patients. Atorvastatin was prescribed in 75 percent of the patients on statins.

The study showed that overall pulmonary function and exercise tolerance of patients in the statin group were significantly lower than patients in the non-statin group. Further subgroup analyses revealed that pulmonary function measures in the diastolic heart failure statin group were 12 percent lower than pulmonary function measures in the diastolic heart failure non-statin group.

The findings were presented at the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians.