article · Journal of Diabetes Research
Statins carry warnings regarding their potential to raise blood glucose levels, but limited data exists from sub-Saharan Africa. A retrospective cohort study conducted at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in northeastern Tanzania evaluated changes in glycated haemoglobin across 122 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, comparing those prescribed statins against non-users over intervals up to 24 months. Among the 51 statin users, the vast majority took atorvastatin. Patients prescribed atorvastatin showed a significant increase in mean glycated haemoglobin between baseline and the one to three month mark, rising from 10.7 percent to 11.9 percent, before levels decreased over longer follow-up periods. Conversely, patients not on statins experienced steady and statistically significant reductions in glycated haemoglobin over the entire 24-month timeframe. The findings demonstrate that statin therapy was linked to a short-lived worsening of glycaemic control during early treatment.
Statins are widely used to manage cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes, but concerns remain regarding their impact on blood sugar. By examining real clinical data from an under-researched region in East Africa, this study shows that the rise in glycated haemoglobin tied to statin initiation is short-lived, offering clinicians useful context when balancing heart protection against temporary glycaemic disruption.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it reports retrospective observational clinical findings rather than a commercial product or technical intervention.
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Introduction: Statins have been implicated in poor glycemic control among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), prompting the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update warning labels on all statins to reflect the risk of increased blood glucose levels. However, few studies from sub‐Saharan Africa have assessed this concern. This study investigated the effects of statins on glycemic control among patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Kilimanjaro, northeastern Tanzania. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital‐based retrospective cohort study evaluating changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) at 1–3, 7–12, and 19–24 months, as the primary outcome, comparing statin users and nonusers among T2DM patients attending DM clinic at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania. Binomial regression models were fitted to calculate adjusted risk ratios for independent predictors of a ≥ 0.2% rise in HbA 1c , with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Out of 122 patients, 51 (41.8%) were on statin therapy. Among these, 46 (90.2%) were prescribed atorvastatin. Statin users had an increase of mean HbA 1c from 10.6 % ± 2.7 % at baseline compared to 11.6 % ± 2.8 % at 1–3 months ( p = 0.114), followed by a decrease to 10.1 % ± 2.2 % at 7–12 months ( p = 1.0), and 10.0 % ± 2.5 % at 19–24 months ( p = 1.0). However, atorvastatin users ( n = 46) had a significant increase of mean HbA 1c from 10.7 % ± 2.8 % at baseline compared to 11.9 % ± 2.7 % at 1–3 months ( p = 0.04). In contrast, nonstatin users had a consistent and significant decrease in HbA 1c from 11.3 % ± 2.8 % at baseline compared to 9.7 % ± 2.2 % at 1–3 months ( p = 0.001), to 9.7 % ± 2.6 % at 7–12 months ( p = 0.011), and to 9.3 % ± 2.2 % at 19–24 months ( p = 0.001). Conclusion: Statin therapy among patients with T2DM was associated with short‐lived worsening of glycemic control at 1–3 months posttherapy.
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DOI: 10.1155/jdr/6626154
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