Physicians Call for Better Guidance on the use of Statins in Patients at High Risk of Developing Diabetes

Physicians Call for Better Guidance on the use of Statins in Patients at High Risk of Developing Diabetes PR Newswire WOKINGHAM, England, November 14, 2012 WOKINGHAM, England, November 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On World Diabetes Day, outputs from a consultation with physicians, including cardiologists and diabetologists, held during the World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and its Complications (WCPD) in Madrid, has highlighted a requirement for improved guidance on how to treat cardiovascular disease risk in patients at risk of developing [1]diabetes. This call for guidance has come in response to further evidence presented at the WCPD that demonstrates how statins [2],[3]differ in their effect on developing diabetes. In addition, consulted physicians noted that recent warnings about the potential for statins to cause diabetes in certain patients were causing other treating physicians to be more cautious [1]about prescribing these lipid-lowering drugs. "Although no-one doubts the huge benefit of statins in reducing cardiovascular disease," said Prof Kausik Ray, Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, St George's, University of London, "these insights demonstrate how the medical community is taking the diabetogenic risk of statins seriously and highlight the need for further research and guidance in how to treat patients with high cholesterol who are at risk of developing diabetes.