A Diabetes Diagnosis After Taking a “Safe” Drug

 Posted on December 03, 2015 in Personal Injury

High cholesterol levels are a big problem for many Americans. The advent of prescribed drugs to help control levels heralded new hope for those in compromised health. One such drug is Lipitor, what is known as a ‘statin.’ Statins are a class of cholesterol lowering drugs that inhibit an enzyme which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol. High levels of cholesterol have been known to cause cardiovascular disease. However, recently, it has been found that statins, like Lipitor, may significantly increase a person's risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and associated health risks. In fact, researchers assert that statin treatment increased the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 46 percent.

If this has happened to you or someone you know, it would be in your best interests to seek the counsel of an attorney experienced in personal injury law. You may be entitled to compensation if the use of a statin correlated with a Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and its associated health risks.

Type 2 Diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December of 2014 that the percentage of adults aged 40 and older, taking drugs that combat high cholesterol, rose from 20 percent to 28 percent between 2003 and 2012. With such a large portion of Americans taking these drugs, the reality that they could cause further health risks is disturbing.

Diabetes occurs due to defects in the body’s ability to produce or use insulin—a hormone required to convert food into energy. If one’s pancreas does not make enough insulin, or if cells do not respond suitably to insulin, blood sugar levels in the blood get too high and can lead to serious health problems.

Statins appear to increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in several ways, according to researchers. One way is that the drugs can increase a person's insulin resistance. Additionally, the cholesterol-lowering drugs seem to impair the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin.

The Federal Drug Administration now has a Consumer Update on their website advising of the possible link between statins and diabetes. However, labeling changes about the possible side effects were not instituted until 2012. If consumers had been sufficiently of warned, they may have avoided this drug entirely.

Compassionate Legal Assistance

When the omission of vital information can lead to serious health ramifications, you need the assistance of competent and experience legal counsel. Located in DuPage County, the Illinois personal injury attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices know full well how medical malpractice and negligence on the part of a doctor, hospital, or drug manufacture can lead to severe health and financial burdens on you. Call today to set up a complimentary consultation to assess the merits of your case. Any one of our 4 office locations can assist you.

Sources:

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/statins.html

http://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/misc-diabetes-news-181/statins

-linked-to-raised-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-697126.html

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-015-3528-5

http://cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db177.htm

http://fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm293330.htm#3