Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report
Background: Clinically significant statin-induced myonecrosis is a rare clinical disorder that affects the skeletal muscles of patients taking statin medication. Its clinical presentation ranges from mild muscle pain to muscle weakness associated with significant elevation (>10×) of serum creati...
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Knowledge E
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/9275 |
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| author | Hanna Demissie Kemal Ali Dagnaw Mersha Salhadin Mohammed Winny Costa Mapour Biruktawit Michael Desalegn Yayeh Biniyam A. Ayele |
| author_facet | Hanna Demissie Kemal Ali Dagnaw Mersha Salhadin Mohammed Winny Costa Mapour Biruktawit Michael Desalegn Yayeh Biniyam A. Ayele |
| author_sort | Hanna Demissie |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Background: Clinically significant statin-induced myonecrosis is a rare clinical disorder that affects the skeletal muscles of patients taking statin medication. Its clinical presentation ranges from mild muscle pain to muscle weakness associated with significant elevation (>10×) of serum creatinine kinase (CK). Early screening, identification, and treatment of statin-induced myopathy are vital as it may lead to drug discontinuation and poor medication adherence.
Case Report: We report a 40-year-old male diabetic patient who visited our neurology referral clinic with a two-week history of muscle pain associated with proximal extremities’ weakness, which later progressed to involve the distal extremity muscles of his upper and lower limbs. A week before his presentation to our hospital, he became wheelchair-bound. Six months before his admission, he was started on a daily dose of 40 mg oral simvastatin for prevention, given his cardiovascular risk factors. No history of fever, headaches, abnormal body movement; no personal or family history of similar illness; no history of trauma, alcohol use, smoking, or use of herbal medication was elicited. His CK levels were elevated 19 times, and electromyography examination showed a myopathic pattern in proximal muscles. Following the discontinuation of simvastatin, the patient’s muscle weakness significantly improved. In addition, his serum CK levels also lowered significantly on his follow-up evaluation.
Conclusion: This case describes a diabetic patient with statin-induced myonecrosis, managed conservatively through statin withdrawal. It also highlights the benign prognosis in younger patients, showing that the condition generally has a favorable outcome with timely diagnosis and management.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e016cb1336fb47fe93c7fe238bc5125e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1858-5051 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Knowledge E |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e016cb1336fb47fe93c7fe238bc5125e2025-08-20T03:15:04ZengKnowledge ESudan Journal of Medical Sciences1858-50512025-06-0120210.18502/sjms.v20i2.9275Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case ReportHanna Demissie0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7089-5477Kemal Ali1Dagnaw Mersha2https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1686-1102Salhadin Mohammed3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1016-9486Winny Costa Mapour4Biruktawit Michael5Desalegn Yayeh6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3970-2435Biniyam A. Ayele7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7955-6030Department of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis AbabaDepartment of Neurology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa Background: Clinically significant statin-induced myonecrosis is a rare clinical disorder that affects the skeletal muscles of patients taking statin medication. Its clinical presentation ranges from mild muscle pain to muscle weakness associated with significant elevation (>10×) of serum creatinine kinase (CK). Early screening, identification, and treatment of statin-induced myopathy are vital as it may lead to drug discontinuation and poor medication adherence. Case Report: We report a 40-year-old male diabetic patient who visited our neurology referral clinic with a two-week history of muscle pain associated with proximal extremities’ weakness, which later progressed to involve the distal extremity muscles of his upper and lower limbs. A week before his presentation to our hospital, he became wheelchair-bound. Six months before his admission, he was started on a daily dose of 40 mg oral simvastatin for prevention, given his cardiovascular risk factors. No history of fever, headaches, abnormal body movement; no personal or family history of similar illness; no history of trauma, alcohol use, smoking, or use of herbal medication was elicited. His CK levels were elevated 19 times, and electromyography examination showed a myopathic pattern in proximal muscles. Following the discontinuation of simvastatin, the patient’s muscle weakness significantly improved. In addition, his serum CK levels also lowered significantly on his follow-up evaluation. Conclusion: This case describes a diabetic patient with statin-induced myonecrosis, managed conservatively through statin withdrawal. It also highlights the benign prognosis in younger patients, showing that the condition generally has a favorable outcome with timely diagnosis and management. https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/9275statinmyonecrosismyopathydiabetes mellituscreatinine phosphokinase |
| spellingShingle | Hanna Demissie Kemal Ali Dagnaw Mersha Salhadin Mohammed Winny Costa Mapour Biruktawit Michael Desalegn Yayeh Biniyam A. Ayele Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences statin myonecrosis myopathy diabetes mellitus creatinine phosphokinase |
| title | Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report |
| title_full | Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report |
| title_fullStr | Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report |
| title_short | Statin-induced Myonecrosis—A Rare Adverse Effect of a Common Drug: A Case Report |
| title_sort | statin induced myonecrosis a rare adverse effect of a common drug a case report |
| topic | statin myonecrosis myopathy diabetes mellitus creatinine phosphokinase |
| url | https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/9275 |
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