Dr Ricky Lareu and Humphrey Ko.

Two Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) researchers have co-authored research linking the use of statin medication to an increased risk of skin infections and diabetes.

Congratulations to lead author, PhD student Humphrey Ko, his CHIRI supervisor Dr Ricky Lareu and their fellow Curtin University collaborators Dr Brett Dix, Professor Jeffery Hughes and Dr Richard Parsons, on having their paper published in the prestigious British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

The research found that people who use statin medication for as little as three months have an increased risk of getting skin and soft tissue infections and diabetes; and that the increased risk of skin infections appeared to be unbiased by diabetes or socioeconomic status.

With statin medications commonly prescribed by health professionals to treat cardiovascular diseases, and increasing interest in these medications to benefit other medical conditions, the findings have important implications for health care professionals around the world.

Humphrey completed this research as part of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Data for the study was accessed through the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

More about the research, and a link to the paper, are available at https://buff.ly/2BNpwBU.