Further research was published today supporting theories that statins may lower the chances of developing a stroke, as well as lowering cholesterol. French scientists from Paris-Diderot University found that patients were 21% less likely to have a stroke for each millimole decrease in the blood levels of the ‘bad’ cholesterol low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
The researchers studied data on over 165,000 patients, taken from 24 separate studies into statins. One study indicated that recurrent strokes became 16% less likely with statin use and the team also believe that blockages in the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain, are reduced. The researchers have called for further research to see whether statins might be a useful treatment after someone has experienced a stroke.
At the moment, around 5 million people in the U.K are taking statins, which cost around 85p per patient per month. They are prescribed to reduce someone’s risk of a heart attack, as they lower cholesterol by taking out cholesterol from the blood stream, thus decreasing overall cholesterol levels in the body.
In the article published in the journal Lancet Neurology, the study’s lead author Dr Pierre Amarenco commented: “Lipid (blood fat) lowering with statins is effective in reducing both initial and recurrent stroke. “Because this effect seems to be associated with the extent of LDL cholesterol reduction, the next step is to assess the effectiveness and safety of further reductions in LDL cholesterol after a stroke”.
Stroke expert Phillip Bath, of the Stroke Association and professor at Nottingham University, believes that sufficient evidence has now been gathered to support wider prescribing of statins. “There is more than enough data now to say that high risk patients and the majority of those who have had a vascular event, such as an ischemic stroke or a heart attack, should be on a statin but it is not happening universally” he said. “We should be using statins more widely than we are."