Fariba Ahmadiazar
1 
, Mehrdad Rahmanian
2 , Zahra Jalali
3 , Akshaya Joseph
4 , Majid Foroutan
5* 1 Department of Data Science and Biostatistics, Julius Global Health, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2 Independent Researcher, 2400 Rue Benny-Crescent, Montreal, Quebec, H4B2P7, Canada
3 Department of Pathology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
4 Independent Researcher, Toronto, ON, Canada
5 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:
The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) inhibitors (i.e., statins) offer several cardiovascular health benefits, however, the adverse effects of these compounds should be carefully considered. High-dose statin therapy could be associated with renal toxicity. The nephrotoxic effects of statins are directly related to higher treatment doses and indirectly related to interactions with other agents, which may increase the serum concentration of statins. Possible mechanisms that can underlie statin-induced nephrotoxicity include changes in cell membrane permeability, reduced ubiquinone levels, and depletion of isoprenoids due to the inhibition of cholesterol production.
Please cite this paper as: Ahmadizar F, Rahmanian M, Jalali Z, Joseph A, Foroutan M. Possible nephrotoxic effects of high dose statin therapy; current knowledge. J Nephropharmacol. 2023;12(1):e10574. DOI: 10.34172/npj.2022.10574.