Severe knee pain related to statin treatment – not to be confused with osteoarthritis of the knee

Abstract

Statins are used extensively for both primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prophylaxis. Although they have a good safety record, side-effects that were not apparent in the registration trials have been noted. We present two middle-aged men who suffered from severe knee pain and both clinical and radiologic evidence of mild to moderate osteoarthritis. Upon cessation of the statins the complaints resolved. Furthermore the complaints returned on rechallenge. The Naranjo adverse reaction score was calculated at 8 indicating a probable adverse drug reaction. We believe that it is important for physicians to be aware of this possible cause for knee pain since in many middle-aged patients X-ray or MRI evidence for osteoarthritis may be present but not responsible for the symptoms.