Statin users have a 45% increased risk of acute large bowel ischemia

This study was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2010 Jan;8(1):49-54

Study title and authors:
Diseases and drugs that increase risk of acute large bowel ischemia.

Longstreth GF, Yao JF.
Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Plan, San Diego, California, USA. george.f.longstreth@kp.org

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19765672

Acute large bowel ischemia is damage to the large intestine due to a decrease in its blood supply. It is a common cause of hospitalisation for acute abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, or diarrhea that increases markedly with age.

This study investigated factors that maybe associated with acute large bowel ischemia. The study included 379 patients with acute large bowel ischemia and 1,516 controls (average age, 69 years; range, 25-97 years).

Regarding statins, the study found that statin users had a 45% increased risk of acute large bowel ischemia compared to non users.