No increased side-effects for patients unaware they were on statins

Muscle-related symptoms are less commonly reported when patients and their doctors are unaware that statin therapy is being used, compared to when they are aware, according to a new study in The Lancet. The research, which looked at data on 26 side-effects from a trial of approximately 10,000 patients, suggested that cases of muscle pain and weakness were unlikely to be directly caused by statins, but may instead be due to the so-called nocebo effect, where the expectation of side-effects can make patients more likely to report them. A large review of evidence on statins concluded that for every 10,000…