Cholesterol-lowering drugs linked to lower risk of bleeding stroke: Research

People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may have a lower risk of having a type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage, according to a new study published in the December 7, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

An intracerebral hemorrhage is caused by bleeding in the brain. “While statins have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke from blood clots, there has been conflicting research on whether statin use increases or decreases the risk of a person having a first intracerebral hemorrhage,” said study author David Gaist, MD, PhD, of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “For our study, we looked at the lobe and non-lobe areas of the brain to see if location was a factor for statin use and the risk of a first intracerebral hemorrhage. We found that those who used a statin had a lower risk of this type of bleeding stroke in both areas of the brain. The risk was even lower with long-term statin use.”

The lobe area of the brain includes most of the cerebrum, including the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes. The non-lobe area primarily includes the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum and brainstem.

In order to conduct the study, researchers combed through health data in Denmark and found 989 individuals with an intracerebral haemorrhage in the lobe region of the brain, with an average age of 76. They were contrasted with 39,500 individuals of a comparable age, sex, and other characteristics who did not experience this type of stroke.

They also examined 1,175 individuals with an intracerebral haemorrhage in the non-lobe regions of the brain, with an average age of 75. They were contrasted with 46,755 individuals of a comparable age, sex, and other characteristics who did not experience this kind of stroke.

Researchers gathered statin usage data from prescription records.

Of the total participants, 6.8% who had a stroke had been taking statins for five or more years, compared to 8.6% of those who did not have a stroke.

After adjusting for factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and alcohol use, researchers found that people currently using statins had a 17% lower risk of having a stroke in the lobe areas of the brain and a 16% lower risk of stroke in the non-lobe areas of the brain.

Longer use of statins was associated with a lower risk of stroke in both areas of the brain. When using statins for more than five years, people had a 33% lower risk of having a stroke in the lobe area of the brain and a 38% lower risk of stroke in the non-lobe area of the brain.

“It’s reassuring news for people taking statins that these medications seem to reduce the risk of bleeding stroke as well as the risk of stroke from blood clots,” Gaist added. “However, our research was done in only the Danish population, which is primarily people of European ancestry. More research should be conducted in other populations.”