- Statin use does not increase the risk of subsequent intracerebral hemorrhages for people who have already experienced one, says a new study.
- At the same time, statins can reduce the chances of having an ischemic stroke after an intracerebral hemorrhage.
- The study may put to rest concerns about statins and intracerebral hemorrhages, with the drugs being prescribed more frequently to address a variety of conditions, most notably high cholesterol.
People who have had an intracerebral hemorrhage, a type of bleeding stroke, should consider taking statins, according to a new study.
The findings indicate that while statins do not increase or decrease the risk of subsequent intracerebral hemorrhages, they do reduce the risk of ischemic stroke.
Ischemic strokes, which are caused by a blockage in an artery or blood vessel in the brain, are the most common type of stroke. They affect about 87% of those who have strokes.
Bleeding strokes strike about 13% of people who have strokes and include intracerebral hemorrhages and subarachnoid hemorrhages. Intracerebral hemorrhages are twice as common.
Intracerebral hemorrhages are among the most deadly forms of stroke, striking an estimated
The study followed 15,151 people from Denmark who had had a first bleeding stroke and had survived for 30 days, continuing until they had another stroke, emigrated, died, or until the study ended. Prescription data on these individuals allowed the researchers to see who did or did not take statins after their stroke.
From this group, the researchers performed a nested analysis comparing:
- 1,959 patients who had had any kind of stroke with 7,400 control individuals similar in sex, age, and other factors
- 1,073 patients who had had an intracerebral hemorrhage, with 4,035 people in a control group
- 984 patients with recurring intracerebral hemorrhages, with 3,755 people in a control…
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