Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24874977›Full record

Observational studyBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2014

Higher potency statins and the risk of new diabetes: multicentre, observational study of administrative databases.

Colin R Dormuth, Kristian B Filion, J Michael Paterson, Matthew T James, Gary F Teare, Colette B Raymond, Elham Rahme, Hala Tamim, Lorraine Lipscombe, Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies Investigators

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It reports registered trial NCT02518503. Cited by 82 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
82citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
25.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02518503 completed

Higher Potency Statins and the Risk of New Diabetes: Multicentre, Observational Study of Administrative Databases

Ran2012Enrolled136,966Registered outcomes1Posted comparisons0ConditionsCardiovascular Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ArmsAtorvastatin (<20mg), Atorvastatin (≥20 mg), Fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin
Open the trial in the graph
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

82 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 182 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Associations of different types of statins with the risk of open-angle glaucoma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025
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  11. Rosuvastatin Worsens Insulin Resistance in HIV-Infected Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2015
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  13. Selective statin therapy and nasal staphylococcal colonisation: a retrospective case-control study.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026
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22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Colin R DormuthDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Victoria, BC V8W 1Y2, Canada colin.dormuth@ti.ubc.ca.
Kristian B FilionCentre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
J Michael PatersonInstitute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada.
Matthew T JamesDepartment of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Gary F TeareHealth Quality Council, Saskatoon, Canada.
Colette B RaymondManitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Elham RahmeDepartment of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Hala TamimSchool of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Canada.
Lorraine LipscombeInstitute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada.
Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies Investigators
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences · CAMcGill University · CAManitoba Health · CASaskatchewan Health Quality Council · CAUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Calgary · CAYork University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate the incremental increase in new onset diabetes from higher potency statins compared with lower potency statins when used for secondary prevention.

designEight population based cohort studies and a meta-analysis.

settingSix Canadian provinces and two international databases from the UK and US.

participants136,966 patients aged ≥ 40 years newly treated with statins between 1 January 1997 and 31 March 2011.

methodsWithin each cohort of patients newly prescribed a statin after hospitalisation for a major cardiovascular event or procedure, we performed as-treated, nested case-control analyses to compare diabetes incidence in users of higher potency statins with incidence in users of lower potency statins. Rate ratios of new diabetes events were estimated using conditional logistic regression on different lengths of exposure to higher potency versus lower potency statins; adjustment for confounding was achieved using high dimensional propensity scores. Meta-analytic methods were used to estimate overall effects across sites.

main outcome measuresHospitalisation for new onset diabetes, or a prescription for insulin or an oral antidiabetic drug.

resultsIn the first two years of regular statin use, we observed a significant increase in the risk of new onset diabetes with higher potency statins compared with lower potency agents (rate ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.26). The risk increase seemed to be highest in the first four months of use (rate ratio 1.26, 1.07 to 1.47).

conclusionsHigher potency statin use is associated with a moderate increase in the risk of new onset diabetes compared with lower potency statins in patients treated for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Clinicians should consider this risk when prescribing higher potency statins in secondary prevention patients.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCanadaCohort StudiesDiabetes MellitusFemaleHospitalizationHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsUnited KingdomUnited StatesHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID24874977
PMCPMC4038449
OpenAlexW1976531866

What OpenQuestion holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.