July 1, 2015 - The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Statin Intolerance App is now available to help guide clinicians through the process of managing and treating patients who report muscle symptoms while on statin therapy.
Although muscle symptoms may occur while on statin therapy, true statin intolerance is uncommon. Because of the abundance of research showing the benefits of statin therapy for heart disease risk reduction, clinicians should partner with patients in determining if the patient is truly statin-intolerant. Patients reporting muscle symptoms while on a statin with should be managed and treated with cycles of discontinuation and rechallenge to identify a tolerated statin and dose.
The ACC Statin Intolerance App is designed to help guide this process. Using the app, clinicians can answer questions to evaluate possible intolerance to a patient's current statin prescription, follow steps to manage and treat a patient who reports muscle symptoms on a statin, and compare statin characteristics and drug interactions to inform management of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, related risks. The app may also be helpful as a resource and teaching tool for students, trainees and clinicians less familiar with standard guidance and protocols for addressing statin intolerance.
The app was developed as part of the ACC's LDL: Address the Risk Initiative, a quality program designed to improve patient outcomes by increasing awareness of the gaps in managing cholesterol, including the importance of managing the risks of high LDL. The app is also part of a larger and ongoing effort by the college to help its members and other clinicians translate guidelines and other clinical policy statements into practice at the point of care. Content in the app was derived from the ACC/AHA's (American Heart Association) 2013 Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults as well as prescribing information from each statin.
Financial support for the LDL: Address the Risk Initiative was provided by Amgen Inc. All of the content was independently developed with no sponsor involvement.
The ACC Statin Intolerance App is available for free, in both Web and mobile versions, on the ACC website or in the iTunes or Google Play app stores.
For more information: www.acc.org
February 16, 2024 
