Scientists Identify New Potential Benefits of Statins Beyond Lowering Cholesterol

Latest analysis hyperlinks cholesterol-lowering medicine to a decrease danger of hemorrhagic stroke.

Based on current analysis on individuals who use statins, a category of cholesterol-lowering medicine could have a decreased danger of intracerebral hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhage is a sort of stroke brought on by bleeding within the mind. The examine was not too long ago revealed within the journal Neurology.

“Though statins have been proven to cut back the danger of stroke as a consequence of blood clots, there’s conflicting analysis on whether or not statin use will increase or decreases an individual’s danger of has a primary intracerebral hemorrhage,” stated examine writer David Gaist, MD, Ph.D., of the College of Southern Denmark in Odense and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “For our examine, we checked out each lobar and non-lobar areas of the mind to see if location was a consider statin use and danger for a primary intracerebral hemorrhage. We discovered that these utilizing a statin had a decrease danger of any such hemorrhagic stroke in each areas of the mind.The danger was even decrease with long-term use of statins.

The mind lobes space contains a lot of the mind, together with the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The non-lobar space primarily contains the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, and brainstem.

For the examine, researchers reviewed well being data in Denmark and recognized 989 individuals with a mean age of 76 who had intracerebral hemorrhage within the lobe area of the mind. They had been in comparison with 39,500 individuals who didn’t have any such stroke and who had been comparable in age, gender and different components.

In addition they checked out 1,175 individuals with a mean age of 75 who had intracerebral hemorrhage within the non-lobar elements of the mind. They had been in comparison with 46,755 individuals who didn’t have any such stroke and who had been comparable in age, intercourse and different components.

The researchers used the prescription knowledge to find out details about statin use.

Amongst all members, 6.8% with stroke had been taking statins for 5 years or extra, in comparison with 8.6% of these with out stroke.

After adjusting for components resembling hypertension, diabetes and alcohol consumption, researchers discovered that individuals presently utilizing statins had a 17% decrease danger of getting a stroke within the lobes of the mind. mind and a 16% decrease danger of stroke in different areas of the mind. -areas of the lobes of the mind.

Longer statin use was related to a decrease danger of stroke in each mind areas. When utilizing statins for greater than 5 years, individuals had a 33% decrease danger of getting a stroke within the lobe area of the mind and a 38% decrease danger of stroke within the non-lobar area of the mind.

“It’s reassuring information for individuals taking statins that these medicine seem to cut back the danger of hemorrhagic stroke in addition to the danger of stroke as a consequence of blood clots,” Gaist added. “Nevertheless, our analysis was carried out solely on the Danish inhabitants, which is generally made up of individuals of European ancestry. Additional analysis must be carried out in different populations.

Reference: “Affiliation between statin use and placement of intracerebral hemorrhage: a nested case-control registry examine” by Nils Jensen Boe, Stine Munk Hald, Mie Micheelsen Jensen, Jonas Asgaard Bojsen, Mohammad Talal Elhakim , Sandra Florisson, Alisa Saleh, Anne Clausen, Sören Möller, Frederik Severin Gråe Harbo, Ole Graumann, Jesper Hallas, Luis Alberto García Rodríguez, Rustam Al-Shahi Salman, Larry B. Goldstein and David Gaist, December 7, 2022, Neurology.
DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201664

The examine was funded by the Novo Nordisk Basis.