Statins May Help Stroke Patients

A recent study found that patients who had been taking statinsbefore their stroke had a 70% better chance of returning homefrom the hospital than those who were not taking the cholesterol-loweringdrugs. The study, which analyzed 1618 stroke patientrecords from the University Health System Consortium, alsofound that statins could be beneficial even if taken just 4 weeksprior to their stroke.

Majaz Moonis, MD, of the Massachusetts Memorial MedicalCenter Stroke Prevention Clinic, noted that the benefits fromstatin use were most evident when patients took the statin for thefirst time within 1 week of their stroke. These patients were 2.6times more likely to be sent home with little or no disability thanpatients who did not receive statins.

These statistics show that statins could benefit many peoplewho are currently not using them. Dr. Moonis advised, "You needto use statins on people in a much more aggressive way."