Prevention & lipidsCross-sectional study
New insights into statin-intolerance: biopsychosocial differences, medication beliefs, trust in healthcare, and treatment decisions in statin-intolerant vs. statin-tolerant patients
- Cross-sectional study
- survey
Authors' conclusion
Statin-intolerant patients differ from statin-tolerant patients in demographic and biological characteristics, medication beliefs and healthcare trust. They prioritize negative factors in treatment decisions
Study context
- Population
- Current and former statin usersmedian 66 years, 59% men
- Participants
- 1,019 participants
- Exposure
- Statin-intolerant vs statin-tolerant patients
- Statin-intolerantn = 178
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Factors associated with statin-intolerance (multivariable logistic regression)
Each group vs statin-tolerantOdds ratio (95% CI)
female sex
1.52(1.05–2.19)
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease diagnosis
1.97(1.39–2.80)
musculoskeletal disease diagnosis
1.93(1.17–3.15)
gastro-intestinal disease diagnosis
1.92(1.01–3.52)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Statin-intolerant | Statin-tolerant | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| General medication beliefs: overuse | 11 (IQR 9–13) | 10 (IQR 8–12) | P = 0.03 |
| General medication beliefs: harms | 9 (IQR 8–11) | 8 (IQR 7–10) | P = 0.02 |
| Statin beliefs: necessity | 13 (IQR 11–16) | 15 (IQR 13–17) | P < 0.001 |
| Statin beliefs: concerns | 13 (IQR 11–16) | 11 (IQR 10–13) | P < 0.001 |
| Trust in healthcare professionals | 42 (IQR 37–46) | 44 (IQR 38–48) | P = 0.02 |
| Importance of experienced side-effects in statin-treatment decision | 91 (IQR 76–99) | 45 (IQR 10–70) | P < 0.001 |
| Importance of effect on lipid levels in statin-treatment decision | 65 (IQR 41–85) | 77 (IQR 50–93) | P < 0.001 |
Original publication
New insights into statin-intolerance: biopsychosocial differences, medication beliefs, trust in healthcare, and treatment decisions in statin-intolerant vs. statin-tolerant patients. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 18 August 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag415
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it