Only a small number of side-effects reported by people taking statins are actually attributable to these drugs, a major new analysis has found.

Statins are a class of drug which are often prescribed to people with high LDL cholesterol levels. LDL cholesterol is known as ‘bad' cholesterol and it can increase a person's risk of developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack or stroke. These drugs are used by millions of people worldwide.

Last year, a study published in the journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, concluded that ‘adverse events associated with statin therapy are not common'.

This latest study appears to support those findings. It centred on an analysis of 29 trials involving over 80,000 patients. Data relating to all adverse events and deaths was assessed.

It found that only a small number of symptomatic side-effects that were reported by people taking these drugs could actually be attributed to them. In fact, among a long list of potential side-effects, including insomnia, nausea, renal problems and muscle ache, just one risk - the onset of diabetes - was found to be increased by the use of statins.

The scientists called on drug regulators to provide clearer evidence and information to patients when it comes to side-effects.

"We believe that patients should be empowered to make their own decisions, but we must first make sure they have top quality unbiased information. This is why we call on drug regulators to highlight in the long lists of side-effects those few whose rate is incrementally greater than that experienced with a dummy (placebo) tablet," the team from London said.

They added that patients and doctors need ‘clear reliable information about benefits and risks to make informed decisions'.

Details of these findings are published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

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