Health & Medicine
Longer Use of Statins Prevents Dementia and Memory Loss
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Oct 03, 2013 11:24 AM EDT
A latest study on the drug statin, used to treat cholesterol, claims that longer use of the medicine prevents memory impairment and also protects against dementia.
The debate over the widespread use of statins and their effect on memory loss isn't new; it has been one of the most controversial topics among healthcare regulators in recent years. Fueling fresh debate over the drug's role in dementia, researchers from Johns Hopkins reported new evidence that sustained use of statin does not cause any short term cognition problems and its use over a year may also protect against dementia. They came to this conclusion after reviewing over a dozen studies that focused on cognitive effects.
Statins are commonly known by the brand names Crestor, Zocor and Lipitor. With the growing cases of the side effects of the drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2012 demanded that statin labels carry the warning about memory loss, type-2 diabetes and liver damage. Certain types of statins are known to elevate the risk of muscle weakness
But the latest review conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers on a number of studies claims that there is no association between the use of statins and short term memory loss. Rather they confirm that long use of this drug ( more than one year) may reduce the risk of dementia by 29 percent.
"All medications, including statins, may cause side effects, and many patients take multiple medicines that could theoretically interact with each other and cause cognitive problems. However, our systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data found no connection between short-term statin use and memory loss or other types of cognitive dysfunction. In fact, longer-term statin use was associated with protection from dementia," Kristopher Swiger, M.D., a primary author of the study, said in a press statement.
The study included two different analyses of 41 different studies, from which they reviewed only 16 that produced a high relevance. In the first analysis, the researchers focused on the short term use of statins and their impact on cognitive function including memory, attention and problem solving. These studies were conducted using Digital Symbol Subsititution Test-standard objective measurement tool.
The second analysis was done on studies where the participants took statins for more than a year to check their association with later diagnosis of Alzheimers or vascular dementia. The studies included more than 23,000 men and women with no history of cognitive problems. The subjects were followed for 25 years.
"Because of their effect on arteries to reduce or stabilize plaque, and prevent strokes, it makes sense that statins could be protective in the brain against dementia," according to senior author Seth Martin, M.D., a Pollin Cardiovascular Prevention Fellow with the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. "Vascular dementia is caused by blockages in small blood vessels in the brain that prevent blood flow to certain areas. Medications such as statins that reduce plaque and inflammation in coronary arteries may also be having the same effect on blood vessels in the brain," says Martin.
Last month, Dr. Tin-Tse Lin from Taiwan provided evidence that match the present finding, stating high doses of statins can prevent dementia in older people. This new study opposed a large volume of previous studies that linked statins to memory loss. One of the studies was from the University of Bristol that conducted a study on pravastatin and atorvostatin and concluded that paravastatin has the ability to impair memory.
The researchers documented their finding in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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First Posted: Oct 03, 2013 11:24 AM EDT
A latest study on the drug statin, used to treat cholesterol, claims that longer use of the medicine prevents memory impairment and also protects against dementia.
The debate over the widespread use of statins and their effect on memory loss isn't new; it has been one of the most controversial topics among healthcare regulators in recent years. Fueling fresh debate over the drug's role in dementia, researchers from Johns Hopkins reported new evidence that sustained use of statin does not cause any short term cognition problems and its use over a year may also protect against dementia. They came to this conclusion after reviewing over a dozen studies that focused on cognitive effects.
Statins are commonly known by the brand names Crestor, Zocor and Lipitor. With the growing cases of the side effects of the drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2012 demanded that statin labels carry the warning about memory loss, type-2 diabetes and liver damage. Certain types of statins are known to elevate the risk of muscle weakness
But the latest review conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers on a number of studies claims that there is no association between the use of statins and short term memory loss. Rather they confirm that long use of this drug ( more than one year) may reduce the risk of dementia by 29 percent.
"All medications, including statins, may cause side effects, and many patients take multiple medicines that could theoretically interact with each other and cause cognitive problems. However, our systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data found no connection between short-term statin use and memory loss or other types of cognitive dysfunction. In fact, longer-term statin use was associated with protection from dementia," Kristopher Swiger, M.D., a primary author of the study, said in a press statement.
The study included two different analyses of 41 different studies, from which they reviewed only 16 that produced a high relevance. In the first analysis, the researchers focused on the short term use of statins and their impact on cognitive function including memory, attention and problem solving. These studies were conducted using Digital Symbol Subsititution Test-standard objective measurement tool.
The second analysis was done on studies where the participants took statins for more than a year to check their association with later diagnosis of Alzheimers or vascular dementia. The studies included more than 23,000 men and women with no history of cognitive problems. The subjects were followed for 25 years.
"Because of their effect on arteries to reduce or stabilize plaque, and prevent strokes, it makes sense that statins could be protective in the brain against dementia," according to senior author Seth Martin, M.D., a Pollin Cardiovascular Prevention Fellow with the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. "Vascular dementia is caused by blockages in small blood vessels in the brain that prevent blood flow to certain areas. Medications such as statins that reduce plaque and inflammation in coronary arteries may also be having the same effect on blood vessels in the brain," says Martin.
Last month, Dr. Tin-Tse Lin from Taiwan provided evidence that match the present finding, stating high doses of statins can prevent dementia in older people. This new study opposed a large volume of previous studies that linked statins to memory loss. One of the studies was from the University of Bristol that conducted a study on pravastatin and atorvostatin and concluded that paravastatin has the ability to impair memory.
The researchers documented their finding in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone