Statins may cut arthritis risk, study suggests (Israel)

"Taking statins may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests. Israeli researchers looked at 1.8m patients and found fewer incidents of the joint condition among those who took the cholesterol-busting drugs. It was thought statins could ease symptoms in those already diagnosed by stopping the over-production of tissue between the joints. But the Maccabi Healthcare Services Research Institute study suggested they could stop it developing altogether. The team discovered 2,500 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, the debilitating inflammation of the joints which affects about one in 100 people"