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Statins and cognitive function in the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study.
Tuesday,2012-11-06 12:07 America/Los_Angeles — eenright
| Title | Statins and cognitive function in the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2005 |
| Authors | Bernick, C, Katz, R, Smith, NL, Rapp, S, Bhadelia, R, Carlson, M, Kuller, L |
| Corporate/Institutional Authors | Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group, |
| Journal | Neurology |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pagination | 1388-94 |
| Date Published | 2005 Nov 08 |
| ISSN | 1526-632X |
| Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Anticholesteremic Agents, Atrophy, Brain, Cholesterol, Cognition Disorders, Cohort Studies, Dementia, Female, Humans, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Memory Disorders, Nootropic Agents, Treatment Outcome |
| Abstract | <p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To examine the association of statin drug use on cognitive and MRI change in older adults.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>Participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal study of people age 65 or older, were classified into three groups determined by whether they were taking statin drugs on a continuous basis, intermittently, or not at all. The untreated group was further divided into categories based on National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations for lipid-lowering treatment. Participants with prevalent or incident clinical TIA or stroke or with baseline Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) scores at or below 80 were excluded. Outcomes examined included rate of change on the 3MS over an average observational period of 7 years, along with changes in MRI white matter grade and measures of atrophy.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Three thousand three hundred thirty-four participants had adequate data for analysis. At baseline, the untreated group in which lipid-lowering drug treatment was recommended were slightly older, less likely to be on estrogen replacement, and had higher serum cholesterol and lower 3MS scores than the statin-treated group. The rate of decline on the 3MS was 0.48 point/year less in those taking statins compared with the untreated group for which treatment was recommended (p = 0.069) and 0.49 point/year less in statin users compared with the group in which lipid-lowering treatment was not recommended (p = 0.009). This effect remained after controlling for serum cholesterol levels. One thousand seven hundred thirty participants with baseline 3MS scores of > 80 underwent cranial MRI scans on two occasions separated by 5 years. There was no significant difference in white matter grade change or atrophy measures between groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>Statin drug use was associated with a slight reduction in cognitive decline in an elderly population. This relationship could not be completely explained by the effect of statins on lowering of serum cholesterol.</p> |
| DOI | 10.1212/01.wnl.0000182897.18229.ec |
| Alternate Journal | Neurology |
| PubMed ID | 16275825 |
| Grant List | N01 HC-15103 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-35129 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85080 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85081 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85082 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85083 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85084 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85085 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |