|
 Cholesterol is essential for life, but too much in the blood
increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and may also be linked
to musculoskeletal problems, such as tendon injuries, said coauthor
James E. Gaida of the University of Canberra and Monash University
in Australia.
“Tendons connect muscle to bone, and tendinopathy is condition where
a person feels pain when using their tendons,” he said. It can
affect any tendon including the Achilles tendon in the heel or the
rotator cuff tendon in the shoulder, he noted.
“The most interesting finding was that the pattern of cholesterol
changes seen with tendinopathy was similar to that which increases
cardiovascular disease risk,” Gaida told Reuters Health by email.
“It seems that what is bad for your heart is bad for your tendons.”
Gaida and his coauthor reviewed 17 studies that described
cholesterol levels or use of cholesterol lowering drugs and
participants' tendon structure or pain. Altogether the studies
involved more than 2,000 people.
“Cholesterol is deposited within the tendon matrix when its level in
the blood is high,” Gaida said.
The researchers theorize that cholesterol deposits lead to
inflammation of the tendons, and that this leads to structural
changes, which make the area vulnerable to injury and pain, he said.
In the studies they analyzed, people with less healthy blood
cholesterol levels were more likely in general to have tendon
problems, and to have worse pain associated with arm and shoulder
musculoskeletal injuries.
But the findings can't prove that high cholesterol causes tendon
issues. In fact, tendon injury can limit physical activity, which
may affect cholesterol, so the relationship could also go in the
opposite direction, the authors note in the British Journal of
Sports Medicine.
“The pain is likely due to the accumulation of cholesterol, though
the accumulation of cholesterol may very well have a genetic
component,” said Louis J. Soslowsky, founding director of the Penn
Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders at the University of
Pennsylvania, who was not part of the new review.
[to top of second column] |
Obesity can exacerbate both high cholesterol and tendon pain,
Soslowsky told Reuters Health by email.
“The association between cholesterol and tendinopathy needs further
investigation, including whether lowering lipids through lifestyle
changes, such as diet and physical activity patterns, could help
treat tendon pain,” Gaida said.
“However, the more important benefit of identifying a link between
cholesterol and tendinopathy is the potential for early detection of
high cholesterol, and management of cardiovascular disease risk, in
those presenting with tendon pain,” he said.
“There is some data that shows statins increase tendon and/or muscle
pain so while lowering cholesterol is likely to aid in preventing
tendon injury and/or improving tendon healing, its role on pain is
not as clear,” Soslowsky said.
Doctors should consider screening people with tendon pain for high
cholesterol, and people who increase their physical activity after
finding out they have high cholesterol should do so gradually so
that their tendons have time to adapt, Gaida said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1NVflx0 British Journal of Sports Medicine,
online October 15, 2015.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
