Medica Jadertina, Vol. 40 No. 1-2, 2010.
Review article
Atorvastatin therapy safety from the aspect of genotoxicity
Goran Gajski
; Institut za medicinska istraživanja i medicinu rada, Jedinica za mutagenezu, Zagreb
Vera Garaj-Vrhovac
; Institut za medicinska istraživanja i medicinu rada, Jedinica za mutagenezu, Zagreb
Abstract
The application of statin today represents one of the basic approaches to the treatment of the disease connected to high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Statins are a widely used group today found in different generic names of cholesterol-lowering agents that act by inhibiting 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG CoA) reductase, an enzyme which catalyses the rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis.
In order to achieve the best therapeutical effects in the shortest period of time various concentrations of these drugs are administered in the range of containing 10 mg/day to 80 mg/day atorvastatin. The results of recent epidemiological researches have shown that determined concentrations of these drugs administered over a longer period can have serious side effects. The most important adverse effects in clinical practice are disease of the skeletal muscles, asymptomatic increases in liver transaminases,
progressive liver disease and myopathy which can lead to rhabdomyolysis and cause acute renal failure.
Researches regarding this group of drugs have been conducted since the early seventies of the last century with the same effort; to find suitable dosage that would be effective in reducing the cholesterol level.
Even though the research approaches have changed through the years, the aim has always been the same; to find the most adequate and most effective dosage with the lowest side effect risk. This review paper brings therefore an overview of recent researches regarding atorvastatin therapy safety with guidelines for protocols used in drug research.
Keywords
statins; atovarstatin; cholesterol; therapy; adverse effects
Hrčak ID:
57599
URI
Publication date:
19.8.2010.
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