Severe obstructive sleep apnea after cerivastatin therapy: A case report

Abstract

All available 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) have been implicated in causing rhabdomyolysis either as monotherapy or in combination with other myotoxic drugs such as cyclosporine, colchicine and fibrates. Cerivastatin (Baycol) is a third generation statin, which has been implicated in cases of fatal rhabdomyolysis. It was voluntary withdrawn from the U.S. market by Bayer after reports of fatal rhabdomyolysis appeared in the literature.1 We present here a case of an 85-year-old woman who developed rhabdomyolysis and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms after having been started on cerivastatin therapy for hypercholesteremia.