Statins reduce stroke severity, aid recovery

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic, a specialist cancer research hospital  in the USA, have shown that patients taking statins before a stroke  experienced better outcomes and recovery than those who were not, even  when their cholesterol levels were ideal.

Statins are widely used to improve cardiovascular health and, more  recently, for certain vascular conditions in the brain. One use has been  to lower the level of low-density lipoprotein which can contribute to  arterial blockages.

The findings, reported in the February issue of the Journal of Stroke  and Cerebrovascular Diseases, are from an assessment of 508 patients  who were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke in the emergency  department during the 22 months from March 2004 to December 2005. Among  them, 207 had their lipid levels measured within 15 days either side of  the stroke and had LDL levels at or under 100mg/dL, which is considered  optimal for healthy individuals.