by Dan Roberts
Statin therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation in the retina, but there has been some concern about cataract development for those who use the drugs.
In a press conference at the European Society of Cardiology meeting, Aug 30, 2013, John B. Kostis, MD (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J.) reported that he and colleagues found that the risk of cataract formation was reduced by 20% among statin users versus non-statin users. They analyzed data from 13 clinical trials comprising 2.4 million patients and 25,618 cataracts. The average duration of statin treatment was 54 months, the average age was 61, and nearly 60% were men.
The greatest benefit was seen in younger patients, and the duration of statin therapy influenced the benefit. People on statins for 14 years, for example, had a 55% reduced risk compared to a 10% risk for those on statins for 6 months.
Kostis said more study is needed to confirm this limited meta-analysis, but the finding helps to “dispel worries about the safety of statins when it comes to cataracts, and lends additional support to long-term statin use”.
Source: MedPage Today
