New research warns that taking statins will make you more likely to be diagnosed with muscle pain, joint disease and injuries.

Researchers found a 20 per cent increased risk of muscle problems in those patients on the cholesterol-lowering drugs compared with those not taking them.

The risk is deemed to be relatively small but it is important because millions of older patients with heart conditions take statins and their use may eventually widen to include healthy younger people.

Statins are the most widely prescribed drugs in Britain. The number of patients taking them is estimated to be as high as 8 million. There have been persistent complaints about side effects such as muscle pain and weakness.

The most serious adverse reaction of taking statins is myopathy, and affects around one in every 1,000 users. The reactions include muscle pain, tenderness and weakness. This condition can progress to rhabdomyolysis, a complete breakdown of muscle cells that can lead to kidney failure and death.

In some patients muscle weakness may persist even after stopping the drugs. And a British Heart Foundation survey found that one in three patients prescribed statin drugs doesn’t take them, partly because of the side effects.

The latest study carried out in the United States investigated the scale of illnesses linked to statins, including muscle weakness, muscle cramps and tendon diseases.

Researchers based at the Veterans Association in North Texas, Dallas, used data from the US military health care system.

Patients were divided into two equal groups: 6,967 who used statins for at least 90 days in 2005, and 6,967 non-users.

A report published by JAMA internal medicine says that statin patients were almost 20 per cent more likely than non-users to have a diagnosis of a musculo-skeletal disease, a 13 per cent higher risk of dislocation, strain or sprain, and slightly higher risk of muscle pain.

But statin users were no more at risk of joint-diseases such as osteoarthritis than non-users. The report states: ‘To our knowledge, this is the first study to show statin use is associated with an increased likelihood of diagnoses of musculoskeletal conditions, joint diseases and injuries.’ (sic)

Calls have been growing for healthy over-50s to take statins, not just those at extra risk of a heart attack. The researchers also said that any significant effect on general health, however small, needs to be carefully considered. These findings are concerning because starting statin therapy at a young age for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases has been widely advocated.

Warnings from statin drug manufacturers’ include muscle pain and weakness, memory loss, fatigue, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction and depression. There is also a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Scientists in the UK say the study shows a very small impact of statins, increasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders overall from 85 per cent in those not on statins to 87 per cent on a statin.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society fears that more patients might stop taking the drugs. Citing that the UK has some five million people taking statins to prevent heart attacks and strokes, the Society says that if 1 per cent of these patients stop taking their statins due to concerns about muscle pains we will see at least 2,000 more heart attacks and strokes over the next ten years as a result, but avoid only 1,000 musculoskeletal problems. The Society also points out that musculoskeletal disorders occur commonly and are rarely due to taking statins.

It is argued, too, that statins save lives when used in the right type of patient – generally those at higher risk of stroke or heart attack because of other medical problems. With statins the benefits are hidden because many people who otherwise would have had a heart attack today were prevented from having a cardiac arrest because of the taking of these drugs. Doctors point out that the side effects of statins are often all too obvious, and this biases many people against a life-saving tablet.