Statin-Associated Autoimmune Myopathy
Three pages on PainSci cite Mammen 2016: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. 38 Surprising Causes of Pain 3. Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements for Pain & Healing
PainSci notes on Mammen 2016:
A good review of the phenomenon of muscle pain caused by statins, the popular and important drugs we take to lower cholesterol. For more information, see Dr. Harriet Hall’s reporting on the paper, or my summary of the issue in 38 Surprising Causes of Pain.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Statins are widely used and lower the risk of death from cardiovascular causes. In a fraction of patients, an autoimmune myopathy may develop, characterized by the development of autoantibodies to the target enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase.
related content
- “Statin Therapy: Risks vs Benefit: An Expert Interview With Eliot A. Brinton, MD,” Linda Brookes, Medscape CME.
- “Effects of Statins on Skeletal Muscle: A Perspective for Physical Therapists,” Stasi et al, Physical Therapy, 2010.
- “A systematic review of statin-induced muscle problems in clinical trials,” Ganga et al, Am Heart J, 2014.
Specifically regarding Mammen 2016:
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Restoring trust in menopause management: menopause hormone therapy is not a panacea, and physical activity remains a critical intervention. Tulloh 2025 Br J Sports Med.
- Common interventional procedures for chronic non-cancer spine pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. Wang 2025 BMJ.
- Gabapentinoids and Risk of Hip Fracture. Leung 2024 JAMA Netw Open.
- Classical Conditioning Fails to Elicit Allodynia in an Experimental Study with Healthy Humans. Madden 2017 Pain Med.
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.