Although known as medications for high cholesterol, a just-released study suggests statins may also have a role in the preventing or reducing development of Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
Statins are a class of medications used to lower cholesterol in individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease. Examples include atorvasatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and simvastatin (Zocor).
A study published in the January 2008 issue of the journal Neurology looked for an association between the use of statin drugs and the development of Parkinson’s disease. The study involved 312 individuals with Parkinson’s disease who were compared them with 342 individuals who did not.
The study’s results show a significant protective association between taking statin medications and the prevention of developing Parkinson’s disease. In fact, they were able to show that the longer individuals used the statin drug, the better the protection.
All of the statin drugs reduced the risk for Parkinson’s except for pravastatin. The benefit was unrelated to gender or age of the individual. The study’s authors noted that although results were very encouraging, this should still be considered an initial study and the results taken with caution. The study will need to be repeated with larger numbers to further validate the results.
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