Statins associated with a 21% increased risk of Alzheimer's

This study was published in the Archives of Neurology 2005 Jul;62(7):1047-51

Study title and authors:
Statin use and the risk of incident dementia: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Rea TD, Breitner JC, Psaty BM, Fitzpatrick AL, Lopez OL, Newman AB, Hazzard WR, Zandi PP, Burke GL, Lyketsos CG, Bernick C, Kuller LH.
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98101, USA. rea123@u.washington.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16009757

The study investigated the association of statin use and the risk of dementia. Over an average period of 5.3 years, the study analysed 2,798 adults, aged 65 years and older, who were free of dementia at the start of the study.

The study found:
(a) Those who used statins had an 8% increased risk of dementia compared to those who had never used cholesterol lowering drugs.
(b) Those who used statins had an 21% increased risk of Alzheimer's compared to those who had never used cholesterol lowering drugs.



Links to other studies:
Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia
Statins have a significant negative impact on quality-of-life
Statin use associated with a 60% increased risk of dementia