Statins pain ‘caused by your genes’

ACHES and pains suffered by people who take statins may be caused by their genes, research has shown.

The discovery could lead to a method of screening patients to identify those most likely to react badly to the cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Between 7% and 29% of the millions of Britons who take statins suffer sore muscles. A Dundee University study found patients had a variant of a gene, and some suffered pain even if they did not take statins.

Lead scientist Professor Colin Palmer said: “There is a genetic sub-group of patients who are susceptible to statin-specific muscle ache.”