Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Risk of Myalgia in HIV Patients

A recent study found that vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with statin-related muscle pain in HIV-infected persons.

Previous research has suggested an association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of statin-induced myalgia, but little is known about the risk in individuals with HIV.
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Researchers conducted a retrospective, cohort study involving 545 participants on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and treated with either atorvastatin (55.8%) or rosuvastatin (44.2%) for at least 12 months between 2011 and 2015. Incidences of symptomatic myalgia and elevation in serum creatine kinase (CK) levels were assessed.

The mean duration of statin treatment for patients was 29 months, and the mean age of patients was 53.4 years old.

Overall, 42 patients (7.7%) were diagnosed with isolated symptomatic myalgia and 25 patients (4.6%) had elevated CK levels associated with myalgia. Researchers found that the mean concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was significantly lower in patients with myalgia and in patients with CK elevation and myalgia than in patients without muscle toxicity.

Patients on statin treatment that lasted for more than 24 months, patients with a history of myalgia, and patients who were 60 years or older also had a higher risk for the developing statin-induced muscle pain.

“In our observational study, vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with a statin-induced myalgia among HIV-infected patients on cART, in conformity with data of the general population,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Calza L, Magistrelli E, Colangeli V, et al. Significant association between statin-associated myalgia and vitamin D deficiency among treated HIV-infected patients [published online January 4, 2017]. AIDS. doi:10.1097/QAD.0000000000001397.