Ulcerative colitis after statin treatment

Statin treatment is widely used in both primary and secondary prevention of diseases in which hyperlipidaemia is a major risk factor, for example, ischaemic heart disease. The development of ulcerative colitis as an adverse reaction to simvastatin is reported, which, despite withdrawal of the drug, proved fatal. The adverse reaction profile of the statins is reviewed, which suggests that this is a class effect and not one limited to simvastatin.