Memory
Prevent Post-Stroke Mental Impairment
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Cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce the risk of mental impairment after a stroke, according to a study presented at the American Stroke Association's 29th International Stroke Conference in San Diego.
High cholesterol may increase the risk of a stroke, yet patients with a history of high cholesterol actually had a lower risk of cognitive impairment three to six months after stroke. However, doctors say this does not imply that cholesterol itself has a protective effect -- it is most likely attributed to the cholesterol treatment.
Forty-five percent of the patients involved in the study were being treated with cholesterol-lowering drugs, also known as statins, before their stroke. David Nyenhuis, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Stroke Research, says, "We believe that perhaps statins were exerting the protective effect."
Patients often experience cognitive impairment or memory loss after a stroke. Cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, are thought to influence cognitive impairment after strokes. But one doctor involved in the study say medical literature has not documented these assumptions. Researchers at the UIC Center for Stroke Research have been searching for identifying markers for dementia after stroke, using brain scans with magnetic resonance imaging. They are also evaluating demographic factors and cardiovascular risk factors as other potential predictors.
The study focused on vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia (VCIND), a mild brain disorder caused by ischemic strokes -- caused by clots that disrupt blood flow to the brain. The researchers say the prevalence of VCIND is not known but vascular dementia -- the most severe form of stroke-related brain dysfunction -- may occur in up to one-third of stroke survivors.
After several analyses, researchers say two variables predicted risk of cognitive impairment -- the patient's level of education (a well-known protective factor) and a history of high cholesterol.
SOURCE: The American Stroke Association's 29th International Conference in San Diego, CA, Feb. 5-7, 2004
Reprinted with permission. © 2004 Ivanhoe Inc.