Statins may reduce risk of osteoarthritis

Regular use of statins – cholesterol-lowering drugs – may reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis, according to research from Keele University.

Scientists looked at records from 16,609 people, aged 40 years and over and found that use of high-dose statins for at least two years was associated with a “significant reduction in clinical osteoarthritis, compared to non-statin users”.

About 20mg of statin a day was associated with around 60% reduced risk of osteoarthritis compared to non-statin users.

“This longitudinal study from a national clinical practice setting provides evidence that higher statin dose and larger statin dose increments were associated with a reduction in clinically defined osteoarthritis outcome,” say the authors in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

It is thought that the benefits could be because of the anti-inflammatory properties of statins.