Could statins also protect against dementia?

Conclusion This study using a large, older age, Asian population finds an association between statin use and reduced risk of developing dementia over an average five years of follow-up. The main limitation of this study is that it can demonstrate an association, but it cannot definitely prove cause and effect. The study has adjusted for a number of measured confounders, but this may not fully account for these or other factors (such as lifestyle habits) that may be involved in the relationship.  Also, while the research has used what can be expected to be a fairly reliable research database, there is also the possibility for some of these health variables to have been inaccurately coded. In particular, there may be inaccurate assumptions around the use of statins. However, statin use was based on first recorded prescription and duration of prescription, we do not know for definite whether the person actually took them as described. And as the study population was Taiwanese, the results cannot be generalised to other populations who may have socioeconomic, health and lifestyle differences and different dementia risk. Overall, these results suggest a possible beneficial effect of statins in reducing risk of dementia, but the possible biological mechanism is not clarified. It may be expected that statin use could be associated with risk of vascular dementia, through both statin prescription and vascular dementia having a common cardiovascular risk association. However, surpr...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Neurology Source Type: news