Statins Linked with Reduced Risk of Dementia, No Short-Term Cognitive Issues

By Evan Wofford, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Statin use not connected with short- or long-term cognitive problems, and may actually protect against dementia, according to a meta-analysis of studies focusing on statin use and cognitive dysfunction.
The review, performed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, focused on 16 studies which examined the short- and long-term effects of statin use on memory. The researchers concluded the use of statins, a type of popular cholesterol-lowering medication, for more than one year can reduce the risk of dementia by 29 percent and poses no short-term cognitive side-effects. In 2012, the FDA warned consumers about the potential of cognitive problems associated with statin use.
“A key future for the field will be to learn how to better personalize treatment,” senior study author Seth Martin, MD, told Ivanhoe. “For now, we provide a very clear message: fear the heart attack and stroke, not the statin.” Dr. Martin is a Pollin Cardiovascular Prevention Fellow with the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
For more information, go to: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/statin_medications_may_prevent_dementia_and_memory_loss_with_longer_use_while_not_posing_any_short_term_cognition_problems
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, October 2013