On 1 July, Dr Bojana Petek and collaborators presented their study on statin use and all-cause mortality in Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) participants at the 5 European Academy of Neurology congress in Oslo. Statins are amongst the most frequently-prescribed drug classes worldwide, acting to lower circulating cholesterol levels by inhibiting an enzyme that is crucial for cholesterol synthesis. To assess the association between statins and the risk of death and stroke in people with dementia, the researchers undertook a prospective, registry-based cohort study of 44,920 SveDem participants.
Combining the SveDem data with participant data extracted from further registries detailing medications, comorbidities, mortality and demographic characteristics, Dr. Petek and collaborators identified a lower risk of all-cause mortality and stroke in people with dementia who were prescribed statins. The protective effect of statins was particularly pronounced in younger participants (<75 years), male participants and in participants with a vascular dementia diagnosis. The researchers also identified a cumulative benefit of statin exposure, with lower risk of death in participants with a longer history of statin usage.
