Cholesterol levels and PMR/GCA

[Mstiles]

Can PMR/GCA raise cholesterol levels?

[SheffieldJane]

It is, I think, one of the listed side effects of Pred. Mine has gone up. I have declined Statins though based on research that doubts their efficacy for women and their role in PMR itself. I am afraid I cannot produce the research without a search on the internet.

[Rimmy in reply to SheffieldJane]

Think you are correct about this SJ - anyway mine also went up and like you I declined statins for the same reasons - all we don't want is to 'enhance' the PMR. So now when I get my bloods done I always say to the doc please DON'T check my cholesterol levels as I'd rather not know given that all I can do is modify my diet and that scarcely makes any difference ...

[powerwalk in reply to Rimmy]

Oh I deliberately didn't fast for my last lot of bloods so that she wouldn't do the cholesterol test, well she did it anyway!! Got the lecture!!! I too had refused statins. No way I will add anything that can bring on an more pain!!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

PMR/GCA not usually except that lack of exercise can contribute to raised levels. On the other hand - pred does. So does Actemra by the way.

[Rache]

My cholesterol level which was already high, has also gone up further since taking pred. Dr has recently prescribed Ezetimibe as an alternative to statins as I never could tolerate them. This drug is sometimes prescribed as an adjunct to a statin to increase efficacy but can be used on its own. I believe it has a different action to statins, somewhat similar to plant sterols in margarine etc. It remains to be seen whether it will help reduce my LDL but so far no noticeable side effects. Heartuk.org.uk have an article about Ezetimibe if interested in finding out more.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Rache]

Have put a link re your post as follow -

heart.org.uk/downloads/heal...

[Rache in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Have replied to Rache and put up a link to Heartuk site

[Jan_Noack]

the server is down for heart.org.uk..at least it keeps telling me it is.

I was just reading about the possibility of cholesterol being high in tissues being correlated with ease of catching COVID 19. news-medical.net/news/20200...

biorxiv.org/content/10.1101...

The article (not peer reviewed) seemed to be saying there was a correlation at least between high cholesterol which may cause inflammation in tissues not the blood or as well as the blood? and the ease of catching COVID19 more severely ..

...."It is vital to note that a high tissue level of cholesterol and not a high blood level is the driver of infectivity with this virus. This means that current tests for blood cholesterol do not always indicate the actual risk of severe or critical disease.

One key example of this seeming paradox is the presence of chronic inflammation, where tissue cholesterol levels are high though blood cholesterol is low. The reason is that cholesterol unloading in the tissue is inhibited, while macrophages load it into the cells."...

and so I got to thinking if anyone else here as well as me has high cholesterol despite diet, exercise and even taking statins, or even just you have high cholesterol and PMR..or don't have high cholesterol for at least a few years before PMR diagnosis and still got PMR.

I've swapped from Lipitor (which I tried for a year or two, and diet and exercise before asa well as with .. to Crestor last October. I did refuse them for years thinking my HDL was high so I was OK(with a cholesterol of 6.0 about twenty years ago when I would have probably had the first symptoms that were a mild PMR like muscle pain up to 8.0 about 8 years ago? ..I started the statins when it got to 8.5 and my 3rd and 4th cousins on family history told me one branch had familial hypercholesterolemia, which fits with my readings. With the Lipitor I got my cholesterol levels down to 5.5 I would like to have got down to 4.5 (I was there in my 20's)

Anyway reading a couple of threads on here it appears there isn't a link between PMR and high cholesterol...? right?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Jan_Noack]

The link is more likely pred - it raises cholesterol levels. But just as unless your diet is truly abysmal it is is very difficult to change the level with diet, it is a liver effect. The liver produces cholesterol whether you eat it or not and there is some evidence that good dietary cholesterol such as found in eggs, contributes to a lower blood level.

What would interest me is the relationship between vit D and cholesterol. Cholesterol is part of the process in skin to form vit D. Does having a low vit D despite being in the sun a lot lead to a raised cholesterol level because it isn't being used up?

[Jan_Noack in reply to PMRpro]

interesting re the VitD. All I know is it is definitely harder to raise VitD with sunlight with age. I sit my father (age 88) out in the sun for 5 hrs a daywith arms and legs exposed..and he doesnt wear a hat either. He has beautiful golden (east geman style .like Nordic but not as golden) and his skin never burns? with the blue eyes and dark blonde /golden hair..until he went grey about age 80! and he still had low VitD!, and mine has fallen to 30 after summer outside in Australia and sunlight on arms and legs. It has never been that low before . I am definitely Not using up cholesterol!

I keep asking the specialist how do I get my high cholesterol to convert..which I would have much preferred to do to taking a stating to help lower its formation! I need more estrogen and that pathway down from cholesterol and now I need more VitD skin conversion too! They do not seem to understand the question..and definitely have no answers and I have never found any research either.. but surely it would be the way to go!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Jan_Noack]

I'd have thought so - not sure what branch of medicine would get the concept though!! My vit D falls as soon as I don't take supplements - and usually I am out in the sun quite a lot. Not so much this year - it is a bit hot in the sun by the time it gets round to the balcony and haven't been outside much otherwise like most people here!

[Jan_Noack in reply to PMRpro]

ah, we were out on the back verandah and back yard.