Use of Statin can help in recovery from stroke

Use of statins before or after an ischemic stroke can improve the rate of recovery for the patients. Patients who had statin before stroke have a chance of 1.6 times more of having a favorable recovery than persons who have not been exposed to statins. People who were on statins after the stroke had the chance of 2.6 times more of a favorable recovery than others.

The study had looked into 1618 people who had ischemic stroke to assess the usefulness of statins before or after the stroke on the rate of recovery.

Statins are a group of drugs that are used to reduce cholesterol. They affect the liver to stop producing a chemical that makes cholesterol. They also allow the body to absorb the cholesterol that had been accumulated in plaques of the artery walls. Statins have many side effects; long-term use of them may reduce the existing blockage of the blood vessels.

Statins, in stroke patients, reduces C-reactive protein, improve the endothelium and have an anti-clotting effect.

The results were presented in the American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting, held in Miami, US recently.

Reference: American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting, April 2005