Finding that statins could slow dementia stimulates further research

Blood fat-lowering statins could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, at least for some patients. This is the result of a new study led by Karolinska Institutet published in Alzheimer Research and Therapy. But the researchers are cautious in their interpretations and see the results as a first step in a research journey that may eventually provide the answer.

A new study shows that people with Alzheimer's dementia deteriorated more slowly in their cognitive functions if they were also treated with a lipid-lowering statin, compared to those who were not treated. However, the study is an observational study where the researchers have compared data on the patients from a registry and therefore cannot answer whether there really is a causal relationship. Thus, the researchers are cautious in their interpretations.

The reason she emphasizes safety is that statins were initially suspected of causing confusion in patients with dementia. There has therefore been some resistance to prescribing statins to these patients.

The study included data from more than 15 500 patients with dementia who also had an indication for lipid-lowering treatment. Almost 11 000 of them were treated with statins. In general, the patients who were treated with statins had slightly higher values in the cognitive tests carried out, even though they were more likely to have diagnoses such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for dementia.

The idea that statins could affect the risk or progression of dementia is not new. There are even some clinical studies done, but they have all been negative.

Reference: Finding that statins could slow dementia stimulates further research; Alzheimer's Research & Therapy; DOI:10.1186/s13195-023-01360-0