Statins may help alleviate traumatic brain injury
Chronically high cholesterol can be mitigated if people buy Canadian Lipitor.
Chronically high cholesterol can be mitigated if people buy Canadian Lipitor. Statins have become some of the most widely prescribed drugs, and researchers at Johns Hopkins University may have discovered a new use for these medications: improving the outcome of a traumatic brain injury.
Past studies in mice have suggested that statins could help recovery from a brain injury. This prompted the research team to review the medical records of 523 patients with moderate to severe head injuries from 69 hospitals around the U.S. About 22 percent of these patients were already taking statins at the time of their injury. The records showed that individuals on these medications were 76 percent less likely to die than those who weren't. However, those who had a history of heart disease did not appear to experience similar benefits, as reported in The Journal of Trauma.
The researchers speculate that statins temper inflammation in the brain after an injury, which helps prevent secondary damage from immune cells that may eradicate healthy and damaged tissue indiscriminately. Statins may also bolster the blood-brain barrier to prevent excess white blood cells from entering the brain, the researchers said.
"Historically there is nothing you can give someone with a brain injury to limit its effect," said author Eric Schneider, PhD. "Perhaps this will prove to be that, but much more study is needed."
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