Vitamin D Supplementation to Treat Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms: A Review

For the past 15 years, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and worldwide. With an aging population, there has been increasing use of statin therapy to reduce the risk of CVD. However, statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) remain an obstacle to this treatment, leading to discontinuation and nonadherence to statin therapy. Signs and symptoms of SAMS include muscle pain, tenderness, and increased serum creatine kinase. Despite the idiopathic pathophysiology of SAMS, some studies have shown an association between vitamin D deficiency and SAMS; the use of vitamin D supplements can lead to relief of these symptoms. The purpose of this review was to critique evidence for the association between low serum vitamin D and SAMS and the use of vitamin D supplementation for treatment.