Statins cut stroke risk by one fifth, study finds

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Cholesterol-lowering drugs cut the risk of strokes by about a fifth, according to a pooled analysis of 24 past clinical studies involving 165,000 people.

The hugely successful class of drugs—a mainstay for millions of people with heart disease—also slow the movement of blockages in the carotid artery carrying blood to the brain, French researchers reported in the journal Lancet Neurology.

The meta-analysis concluded that stroke risk fell by 21 percent for each one millimole per liter decrease in the level of “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood.

Previous individual clinical trials have not always given a clear picture of the benefits of using Statins in stroke prevention. Leading Statins include Pfizer’s Lipitor, AstraZeneca’s Crestor and cheaper generics, such as simvastatin.

Lead researcher Pierre Amarenco from Paris-Diderot University said the next step in the field should be to assess the safety and effectiveness of further reductions in LDL cholesterol after a stroke.

LONDON (Reuters)

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