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 In fact, the six-yearlong study of more than 1,000 patients found
the drugs appeared to protect cognition in patients with heart
disease, researchers reported in the Journal of the America College
of Cardiology.
"We could find no detrimental effect of statin medications on memory
or global cognition over six years in older people, where memory had
been comprehensively measured using five different kinds of memory
tests," said study leader Katherine Samaras of the Garvan Institute
of Medical Research in Sydney.
Patients had been worried about statins for a number of reasons,
Samaras said in an email. First, there had been a number of
anecdotal reports suggesting statins might cause memory problems.
"Second, based on those reports the (Food and Drug Administration)
requires a black box warning stating statins can cause memory loss,"
Samaras said. "Third, the media have promoted fear in the community
and the belief that statins cause memory loss - however, the
evidence doesn't stack up to support that belief."
To analyze statins' possible impact on cognition, Samaras and her
colleagues turned to the Sydney Memory and Aging Study, which has
been following 1,037 seniors who were aged 70 to 90 at the start of
the study and were not showing signs of dementia.
During a six year period, participants in the MAS were evaluated for
both mental and physical health every two years on four occasions.
At each evaluation, the researchers assessed statin use by the
participants and grouped them with respect to that use.
Participants were also offered brain scans as part of their
cognitive evaluation. Ultimately, 529 signed on to be scanned at
baseline, while 408 had a repeat scan two years into the study.
After accounting for dementia risk factors, the researchers found no
difference over the six years between statin users and non-users in
terms of cognitive skills. What's more, participants with heart
disease who took statins saw slower cognitive decline than those who
did not use the drugs.
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"Vascular disease is a major contributor to dementia as we age,"
Samaras said. "Addressing the factors that promote vascular disease
should prevent decline in cognition. In people with heart disease,
this includes controlling blood fat levels - by addressing obesity,
diet and, when necessary, statin medications - optimizing blood
pressure and controlling diabetes when present."
This is a "very important study," said Dr. Robert Rosenson, director
of cardiometabolic disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai in New York City. "I am very pleased to see these
results because of the robustness of the design and the quality of
the study."
The study is strong because of its size as well as its being
"prospective with serial measurements made with validated measures
of cognitive impairment," Rosenson said.
Rosenson hopes the new findings will counter some of the
misinformation circulating on the internet and other places.
"Case reports and small studies have tainted the public's perception
regarding the safety of statin therapy," he said. "There are a lot
of groups and some physicians who feel statins are harmful. They are
ignoring the incredible database showing statins improve survival
and reduce heart attacks, stroke and hospitalizations."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2Os3Np9 and http://bit.ly/2QqQmsa Journal of
the American College of Cardiology, online November 18, 2019.
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