Statin-Induced Anti-HMGCR-Associated Myopathy.

In addition to self-limited myotoxicity, statins have recently been shown to trigger an immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), which is distinguished from polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) by the absence of primary inflammation on muscle biopsy. Previously, we have shown that patients with statin-associated necrotizing myopathy express an autoantibody targeting 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), the pharmacological target of statins (1,2). We conducted a case-control study to characterize the comorbidities and detailed individual statin history and to investigate the possible clinical associations that could contribute to the development of anti-HMGCR– positive myopathy in statin-treated patients.