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Prevalence of statin-drug interactions in older people: a systematic review

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Abstract

Purpose

Statins are among the most frequently prescribed medications internationally. Older people are commonly prescribed multiple medications and are at an increased risk of drug-drug interactions, including statin-drug interactions. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of current evidence on the prevalence of statin-drug interactions in older people.

Methods

A systematic search of observational studies in Embase, Medline, and PubMed was conducted. Articles were included if they were published in English during the period July 2000–July 2014 and reported on the prevalence of statin-drug interactions in people over 65 years of age. Two reviewers independently assessed the articles for eligibility and extracted the data.

Results

The search returned 1556 eligible articles. A total of 19 articles met the inclusion criteria. In studies (n = 7) that focused on statin users only, the prevalence of potential statin-drug interactions assessed using different measures ranged from 0.19 to 33.0 %. In studies that examined drug interactions across a population of both statin users and non-users (n = 12), the prevalence of potential statin-drug interactions ranged from 0.1 to 7.1 % (n = 8), and the prevalence of clinically relevant statin-drug interactions ranged from 1.5 to 4 % (n = 4).

Conclusions

Current published evidence suggests substantial variations in the prevalence of statin-drug interactions and their clinical relevance. Further studies are necessary to provide a better understanding of the prevalence of clinically significant statin-drug interactions, the medications most frequently contributing to statin-drug interactions, and impact on relevant clinical outcomes in older people.

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Acknowledgments

Danijela Gnjidic is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Early Career Fellowship. Sallie-Anne Pearson is a Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellow. Emily Reeve is employed by the NHMRC Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre which receives financial support from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and partners Alzheimer’s Australia and aged care providers HammondCare, HelpingHand, and Brightwater.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to conception and planning of the article. MT, ER, KQ, and DG contributed to manuscript acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of the data. All authors contributed to paper drafting, critical revision, and have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Michele Thai, Katie Qi, Sallie-Anne Pearson & Danijela Gnjidic

  2. Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Emily Reeve, Sarah N Hilmer & Danijela Gnjidic

  3. Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Level 12 Kolling Building, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia

    Emily Reeve & Sarah N Hilmer

  4. School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Sallie-Anne Pearson

  5. Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Level 1, AGSM Building (G27), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Emily Reeve & Sallie-Anne Pearson

Authors
  1. Michele Thai
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  3. Sarah N Hilmer
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  6. Danijela Gnjidic
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Correspondence to Danijela Gnjidic.

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Thai, M., Reeve, E., Hilmer, S.N. et al. Prevalence of statin-drug interactions in older people: a systematic review. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 72, 513–521 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-016-2011-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-016-2011-7

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