Abstract

Statins are a group of lipid-lowering medications that have been proven to be efficient in the protection of patients with dyslipidaemia from cardiovascular disease. The beneficial role of statins in both primary and secondary prevention has been well documented in many large randomized clinical trials. This beneficial effect extends to patients with diabetes mellitus. Their safety profile is overall good with mainly mild side effects. However, data indicate that statins may promote new onset diabetes mellitus. We review the current evidence regarding the overall efficacy and safety profile of statins in patients with diabetes mellitus; further we put into a broader perspective the debated diabetogenic effect of these drugs.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, statins, statin-induced diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, clinical trials, dyslipidaemia.