Thank you for your interest in the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Statin Effects Study, and for sharing your experience on cholesterol-lowering drugs with us. We have heard many cases in which people have reported problems that may be related to statin use. Our goal is to learn as much as possible about these symptoms, as there is little research available on them to date. We think this is especially important because statins and cholesterol-lowering drugs have become the most widely prescribed medications in the country.
We are seeking to get information from people who may have experienced statin associated problems in order to better address questions posed to us by others who are currently experiencing such problems. If you are willing, we would be grateful if you could complete the attached questionnaire pertaining to your experience. Please fill it out as completely as possible. Attached is an MSWord version and an Adobe .pdf version; use whichever is preferable. The information provided will help us to better understand these medications and any of their possible side effects. We also attached a consent form; a signature is needed in order for us to include any of the information sent to us. If you prefer to have this form mailed, please e-mail us back a return address and we will be glad to send them with a postage-paid envelope.
Please be reassured that any identifying information will be kept confidential within the study group. The “Notice of Privacy Practices” can be accessed through the following website:
http://health.ucsd.edu/hipaa/hipaa.asp.
Please mail the consent form, along with the questionnaire to:
UCSD Statin Effects Study
9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0995
La Jolla, CA 92093-0995
Also, please consult our new website to read about statin medications and to find resources to learn more. We will keep this site up-to-date with our latest findings. The URL is:
http://medicine.ucsd.edu/ses/
Thank you,
John J. McGraw
UCSD Statin Study