Abstract

On February 28, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its labeling requirements for statins. In addition to revising its recommendations for monitoring liver function and its  alerts  about reports of memory loss, the FDA also warned of the possibility of new-onset diabetes mellitus (NOD) and worse glycemic control in patients taking statin drugs. Though the association is clear, until some contradictory observations can be resolved and plausible mechanisms of action elucidated, causality cannot be established. Several potential mechanisms could be included in the increased risk of NOD in patients on statin therapy. Considering this possible risk, physicians should be cautious in management of such patients, especially who are on intensive-dose therapy, and also to inform patients about that.  From  a clinical standpoint,there is currently no evidence that elevations in blood glucose while taking lipid-lowering drugs are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events or that they attenuate the beneficial effects of the therapy. Until further study is done, statins should continue to be used based on a careful assessment of risk and benefit.