Continued Statin Use Boosts Post-Stroke Outcomes

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Recent research has indicated that statins may actually help prevent a stroke from occurring in the first place. As well, the study authors said evidence is mounting that the drugs help control inflammation. They may also possess antioxidant properties. Some studies have indicated that statins boost the immune system while preventing platelets from collecting, thereby preventing the formation of blood clots.

To explore statin therapy's role in improving post-stroke recovery, Castillo and his colleagues tracked the experience of 89 Spanish patients being treated in an acute stroke hospital unit.

All had already been prescribed statins prior to the onset of a stroke, and none had a post-stroke life expectancy of less than six months.

Between 2003 and 2005, the researchers randomly divided the stroke patients equally into two groups. One group continued to receive 20 milligrams of daily statins (regardless of prior dosage) in the first three days after their stroke, either orally or through a feeding tube. The other group stopped receiving statins over the same three-day post-stroke period.

On the fourth day, the group that had been placed on statin withdrawal resumed taking the drug, and all of the patients went on to continue taking the drug for at least three more months.

All patients were monitored through clinical and radiological evaluations (including MRIs) once a day for the duration of their hospital stay, and again three months following discharge.

In the end, Castillo's team found that patients who got statins in the first three days post-stroke fared much better than patients who did not.

While 60 percent in the non-statin group either died or become physically disabled and dependent at the three-month mark following their stroke, only 39 percent of the statin-taking group died or experienced a similar level of physical deterioration.

The risk of death and dependency among the non-statin group was even higher after adjusting for other contributing factors such as patient age and the severity of the stroke, the team reported.