Do women with statin-related myalgias have low vitamin D levels?

BACKGROUND: Statin intolerance is often due to myalgias. Severe vitamin D deficiency is characterized by musculoskeletal pain. We hypothesized that statin-intolerance is associated with vitamin D deficiency. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether there is an association between statin-intolerance and vitamin D deficiency in a retrospective observational analysis. METHODS: We evaluated 20 female patients with prior myalgia-related daily dose statin intolerance on an alternative day statin dosing protocol of twice weekly for 4 weeks followed by advancement to daily dosing, as tolerated. Fasting baseline and follow-up lipid and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OHD) levels were obtained by chart review. RESULTS: The group median age was 61 ± 13 years old and BMI was 27 ± 7 kg/m(2). Women who remained on alternative day statin dosing (n = 16) compared to women on daily dosing (n = 4) had a significantly lower group mean 25-OHD (mean 29 ± 11.23 vs. 47.5 ± 23.53 ng/ml p = 0.0307 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In women with prior myalgia-related statin intolerance, vitamin D levels were significantly lower in women who remained on alternative day dosing compared to those who were tolerant of daily dosing.