Abstract
Statin is now recommended in secondary prevention after stroke or transient ischemic attacks to reduce the risk of a new stroke or major cardiovascular events. However, some issues about the extent of the benefit in some stroke patients and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage remain debated. This review shows that statins are significantly effective in decreasing the risk of further strokes despite an increase in the risk of brain hemorrhage. A significant benefit was observed in men and women, in aged patients and possibly to a greater extent in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Intensive statin therapy lowering the LDL-cholesterol beyond the cut-off value of 1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dl) seems to be more effective than less intensive treatment and without an increased risk of side effects. Overall, statins are well tolerated. Further prospective studies should clarify whether the effect is of the same magnitude in small vessel disease and how to select the patients to reduce the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.
Keywords: Carotid stenosis, cerebral hemorrhage, cholesterol, risk, statins, stroke, therapy, treatment.
Current Vascular Pharmacology
Title:Risk and Benefit of Statins in Stroke Secondary Prevention
Volume: 11 Issue: 6
Author(s): Patrice Laloux
Affiliation:
Keywords: Carotid stenosis, cerebral hemorrhage, cholesterol, risk, statins, stroke, therapy, treatment.
Abstract: Statin is now recommended in secondary prevention after stroke or transient ischemic attacks to reduce the risk of a new stroke or major cardiovascular events. However, some issues about the extent of the benefit in some stroke patients and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage remain debated. This review shows that statins are significantly effective in decreasing the risk of further strokes despite an increase in the risk of brain hemorrhage. A significant benefit was observed in men and women, in aged patients and possibly to a greater extent in patients with carotid artery stenosis. Intensive statin therapy lowering the LDL-cholesterol beyond the cut-off value of 1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dl) seems to be more effective than less intensive treatment and without an increased risk of side effects. Overall, statins are well tolerated. Further prospective studies should clarify whether the effect is of the same magnitude in small vessel disease and how to select the patients to reduce the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Laloux Patrice, Risk and Benefit of Statins in Stroke Secondary Prevention, Current Vascular Pharmacology 2013; 11 (6) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157016111106140128113121
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157016111106140128113121 |
Print ISSN 1570-1611 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-6212 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Apoptosis in COPD
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Diabetic Cardiomyopathy and Oxidative Stress: Role of Antioxidants
Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Anaemia in Diabetes: An Emerging Complication of Microvascular Disease
Current Diabetes Reviews Value of Abnormal Fetal Cardiac Axis in the Fetal Congenital Heart Disease
Current Medical Imaging Effects of Lipid-Lowering Drugs on Adiponectin
Current Vascular Pharmacology Calcium Antagonists: A Ready Prescription for Treating Infectious Diseases?
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Isolated Perioperative Hypertension: Clinical Implications & Contemporary Treatment Strategies
Current Hypertension Reviews Uric Acid Metabolism in Pre-hypertension and the Metabolic Syndrome
Current Vascular Pharmacology Biomarkers as a Guide of Medical Treatment in Cardiovascular Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry Exploration of Different Methodologies for Synthesizing Biologically Important Benzothiazoles: An Overview
Current Organic Synthesis Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Heart Failure ∼Novel Pathophysiological Insight and Treatment Strategies∼
Current Cardiology Reviews Notch Signaling in Cardiovascular Disease and Calcification
Current Cardiology Reviews Anti-Arrhythmic Properties of N-3 Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFA)
Current Medicinal Chemistry Structure and Expression of Different Serum Amyloid A (SAA) Variants and their Concentration-Dependent Functions During Host Insults
Current Medicinal Chemistry Optimal Medical Therapy for Coronary Artery Disease in 2011 – Perspectives from the STICH Trial
Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry The Effects of Pemafibrate in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Receiving HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Pharmacological Treatment of Obesity, Food Intake, and Reversal of Metabolic Disorders
Current Nutrition & Food Science Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) and Cardiovascular Disease
Vascular Disease Prevention (Discontinued) Human Amnion–Derived Cells as a Reliable Source of Stem Cells
Current Molecular Medicine Autoimmune Hepatitis: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Pharmacological Therapy
Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued)