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Score ‘predicts statin side-effects’

UK researchers have developed a score to calculate the risk of an adverse event in patients taking statins.

The study tested the QStatin score in 2,205,613 patients taking statins over a six-year period and measured its performance in predicting the incidence of cataract, acute renal failure, liver dysfunction or myopathy.

The discrimination of the score was quantified by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) – with a value of 0.5 representing chance, and 1.0 representing perfect discrimination between patients who experienced an adverse event and those who do not.

The authors concluded the score showed very good agreement between observed and predicted risks for acute renal failure in both men and women, with AUROC values between 0.84 and 0.87.

Calibration for liver dysfunction was good for women, but poor for men, with AUROC values of 0.64 for women and 0.60 for men. The AUROC scores for men and women were between 0.72 and 0.76.

Study lead Dr Gary Collins, senior medical statistician at the University of Oxford, said: ‘Used during the consultation process, patients at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease will be able to discuss with their GP the balance between risks and benefits of starting statin treatment.'

Heart 2012, online 11 June

http://heart.bmj.com/content/early/2012/06/10/heartjnl-2012-302014.full.pdf+html