Can Statin Cause Low Hematocrit Levels?

Posted on Tue, 19 Dec 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 Answered on

Tue, 22 May 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been taking atorvastatin 40 mg for 4 months - through carotid endarterectomy surgery - with horrible subjective side effects which, objectively, include very low hematocrit of 32.9% and other low red blood cell counts. Primary Care Physician (PCP) advised Iron and B-12 supplements (which help greatly !) Cardiologist doesn't seem to believe these are due to the statin and recommends liver blood tests (ALT/AST). But, I have read articles on "The Statin-Iron Nexus". Also, PCP bloodwork - not seen by cardiologist shows ALT and AST very mid-range (21 and 20 respectively). Any advice appreciated., but NO ADVERTISING to .gov email account, thanks!!!

Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (45 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Kindly upload your blood reports

Detailed Answer:
Help Sir

After going through the medical details provided by you I understand your concern and would like to tell you that yes, few studies have shown the effect of statins on iron profile but before commenting upon anything I would like to see the blood reports.

Kindly upload the blood report images from your dashboard for evaluation and proper opinion.

Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D