Statins are a class of drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels. They work by blocking an enzyme in the liver responsible for the production of cholesterol.
Recent research links cholesterol-lowering drugs to a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
According to recent research on people who use statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a reduced risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhage is a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. The study was recently published in the journal Neurology.
“Although statins have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke due to blood clots, there is conflicting research on whether statin use increases or decreases a person’s risk of has a first intracerebral hemorrhage,” said study author David Gaist, MD, Ph.D., of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “For our study, we looked at both lobar and non-lobar areas of the brain to see if location was a factor in statin use and risk for a first intracerebral hemorrhage. We found that those using a statin had a lower risk of this type of hemorrhagic stroke in both regions of the brain.The risk was even lower with long-term use of statins.
The brain lobes area includes most of the brain, including the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The non-lobar area mainly includes the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, and brainstem.
For the study, researchers reviewed health records in Denmark and identified 989 people with an average age of 76 who had intracerebral hemorrhage in the lobe region of the brain. They were compared to 39,500 people who did not have this type of stroke and who were similar in age, gender and other factors.
They also looked at 1,175 people with an average age of 75 who had intracerebral hemorrhage in the non-lobar parts of the brain. They were compared to 46,755 people who did not have this type of stroke and who were similar in age, sex and other factors.
The researchers used the prescription data to determine information about statin use.
Among all participants, 6.8% with stroke had been taking statins for five years or more, compared to 8.6% of those without stroke.
After adjusting for factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and alcohol consumption, researchers found that people currently using statins had a 17% lower risk of having a stroke in the lobes of the brain. brain and a 16% lower risk of stroke in other areas of the brain. -areas of the lobes of the brain.
Longer statin use was associated with a lower risk of stroke in both brain regions. When using statins for more than five years, people had a 33% lower risk of having a stroke in the lobe region of the brain and a 38% lower risk of stroke in the non-lobar region of the brain.
“It is reassuring news for people taking statins that these drugs appear to reduce the risk of hemorrhagic stroke as well as the risk of stroke due to blood clots,” Gaist added. “However, our research was conducted only on the Danish population, which is mainly made up of people of European ancestry. Further research should be conducted in other populations.
Reference: “Association between statin use and location of intracerebral hemorrhage: a nested case-control registry study” 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 study was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.