Stroke Recurrence Risk Reduced By Taking A Statin

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Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Statins;  Cholesterol;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 10 Aug 2006 - 12:00 PDT

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If you have had a stroke your chances of having another one are significantly reduced if you take a statin, according to a new trial called the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) study. The trial, the first of its kind, was designed to evaluate the benefits of taking a statin for patients who had already suffered a stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), but have never had any coronary heat disease.

You can read about this study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Currently, up to 40% of patients who experience their first stroke go on to have a second stroke within five years. It is not uncommon for the second stroke to either kill the patient or leave him/her severely disabled.

The study showed that the benefits of taking statins far exceeded those provided by current treatment options for patients after their first stroke. Current treatments include blood thinning and blood pressure lowering medications.

By taking Lipitor (Atorvastatin), a patient reduces his/her chances of having a second stroke by 16%. The risk of a subsequent major coronary event is reduced by 35.2%.
(Lipitor is a statin)

In the UK 130,000 people have a stroke each year, one every five minutes. 66,000 people die each year in the UK as the result of stroke - it is the third biggest killer in the country. Approximately one third of all stroke patients are left with some kind of disability.

Professor Philip Bath, Head of the Division of Stroke Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the lead investigators of the SPARCL study, UK, said "For the first time we have shown that statins reduce strokes reoccurring in people who have already had one. We have always thought that statins would have a positive effect but this the first study to demonstrate it. The SPARCL results simply add to the weight of evidence demonstrating the benefit of statins in preventing stroke and clearly show that most people who have had an ischaemic stroke should be on a statin."

88% of stroke cases are ischaemic. This is caused by blockage of blood vessels leading to the brain. Other causes are referred to as haemorrhagic strokes.

The SPARCL study showed that patients who took atorvastatin were 22% less likely to have an ischaemic stroke.

A statin is a type of drug that inhibits cholesterol production in the liver. It is a cholesterol-lowering drug.

High-Dose Atorvastatin after Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) Investigators
New England Journal of Medicine
Volume 355:549-559 August 10, 2006 Number 6
Click Here To See Abstract Online

Written by: Christian Nordqvist Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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