Statins for all NHS kidney patients

STATINS should be routinely offered to everyone suffering from chronic kidney disease, it will be announced today.

Health chiefs will say the drugs – specifically atorvastatin – can manage sufferers’ increased risk of heart disease.

Chronic kidney disease is a long-term condition where the organs no longer work as well.

The condition, associated with ageing, affects around 2.6 million people in England, with 60,000 people dying prematurely each year.

Research shows there is a clear link between reduced kidney function and cardiovascular disease.

Now the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Government’s drug rationing body, will recommend 20mg of atorvastatin as the preferred initial high-intensity statin.

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at NICE, said people with long-term kidney problems “have an increased risk of suffering a fatal heart attack or stroke”. He added: “The effectiveness of statins is now well proven, as is their long-term safety.”

Professor Philip Kalra, of Kidney Research UK, said: “This will hopefully enable more patients to have access to this safe and widely used class of medication.”

Many patients complain of side effects and argue there is “no consistent evidence” that statins reduce death rates.

However, some medics suggest that people who stop taking them are putting their lives in danger.