Abstract
A few recent individual case reports have suggested that a myasthenic syndrome may be associated with statin treatment, but this association is not well described. We report 4 patients who developed symptoms of myasthenia gravis within 2 weeks of starting treatment with a statin drug. In 1 case the drug appears to have exacerbated underlying myasthenic weakness, whereas in the other 3 cases, de novo antibody formation appears to be most likely. In each case, some degree of recovery followed discontinuation of the statin medication.
MeSH terms
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Aged
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Autoantibodies / blood
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Female
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Fluorobenzenes / administration & dosage
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Fluorobenzenes / therapeutic use
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Humans
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Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / adverse effects*
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Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Hyperlipidemias / drug therapy
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Myasthenia Gravis / chemically induced*
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Myasthenia Gravis / immunology
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Pravastatin / adverse effects
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Pravastatin / therapeutic use
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Pyrimidines / administration & dosage
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Pyrimidines / therapeutic use
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Receptors, Cholinergic / immunology
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Rosuvastatin Calcium
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Simvastatin / adverse effects
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Simvastatin / therapeutic use
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Sulfonamides / administration & dosage
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Sulfonamides / therapeutic use
Substances
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Autoantibodies
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Fluorobenzenes
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Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
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Pyrimidines
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Receptors, Cholinergic
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Sulfonamides
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Rosuvastatin Calcium
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Simvastatin
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Pravastatin