Statins cut stroke risk by one fifth, study finds
Key points
- 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.
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)
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
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