Taking statins may prevent future strokes in young people
Millions of Americans buy Lipitor to help maintain heart health and avoid high cholesterol.
Millions of Americans buy Lipitor to help maintain heart health and avoid high cholesterol. According to the journal Neurology, drugs that help lower cholesterol - such as statins - may help prevent strokes among young people who have already experienced one.
Lead author Jukka Putaala and her colleagues from the Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland looked at the medical records of 215 people between the ages of 15 and 49. The study subjects had experienced an ischemic stroke, after which they were followed for a period of nine years.
About one-third of the participants had taken a statin at some point after experiencing the stroke. Among individuals who had continuously taken the drug, no one had a second stroke or any other vascular problem. Of the 143 patients who had never taken this medication, an estimated 20 percent had a second stroke.
"Because the cause of stroke in young people can be hard to identify, cholesterol-lowering drugs are often not used to prevent further strokes or vascular problems," Putaala explained. "This study suggests that the drugs should be considered even when the cause of the stroke is unknown and the cholesterol levels are not high."
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