>> "The mild increases in ALT at the 400 mg/week dose likely reflect extreme lipid-lowering activity, not toxicity, and are consistent with perturbations in liver chemistries seen with statins."
Does anyone know of the scientific basis for this claim? The implication that the liver enzyme elevations occasionally seen with statins are related to the drugs working so well on lipid lowering seems far fetched to me. <<
Just a guess , but might it be a result of 'de-fatifying' fatty livers , resulting in temporary leakiness ?
I get the impression that ALT elevations resulting from statin therapy are becoming less troubling to the medical community as experience with their usage accumulates , especially if it resolves over time. Some even question the need for regular monitoring of liver enzymes since it rarely justifies a change in therapy , though elevations are much less common in currently prescribed statins relative to what was seen here. Still , I'm not convinced this will be a deal-killer , considering the activity at lower dosages.
