Statin use associated with increased risk of brain hemorrhage after stroke treatment

This study was published in Stroke 2009 May;40(5):1729-37

 

Study title and authors:

Prior statin use, intracranial hemorrhage, and outcome after intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

Meier N, Nedeltchev K, Brekenfeld C, Galimanis A, Fischer U, Findling O, Remonda L, Schroth G, Mattle HP, Arnold M.

Department of Neurology, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19265056

Ischemic stroke occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked. Intra-arterial thrombolysis is a medical intervention that breaks down the blockages by pharmacological means. A complication of intra-arterial thrombolysis is intracranial (brain) hemorrhage.

The study evaluated the influence of statin pretreatment and cholesterol levels on the incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in 311 patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving intra-arterial thrombolysis treatment.

The study found:
(a) The cholesterol levels of patients who had an intracranial hemorrhage were 2.5% lower than patients who did not have an intracranial hemorrhage.
(b) Statin uses had a 210% increased risk of an intracranial hemorrhage compared to nonusers.
(c) Three months after their stroke, statin users had a 59% increased risk of death compared to nonusers.

The study shows that prior statin use is associated with a higher frequency of intracranial hemorrhage after intra-arterial thrombolysis treatment for ischemic stroke.

Statins associated with increased bleeding in the brain in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage

This study was published in Stroke 2012 Jul 24

Study title and authors:

Statin Use and Microbleeds in Patients With Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Haussen DC, Henninger N, Kumar S, Selim M.

From the Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22829545

Microbleeds (or microhaemorrhages) are pinpoint drops of blood that leak from blood vessels in the brain and increase may increase the risk of stroke and cognitive dysfunction.

The cortico-subcortical region of the brain is the outer layers and the area beneath the outer layers.

The study investigated the effects that statin use had on microbleeds in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. The study included 163 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

The study found:
(a) Statin users had significantly lower cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels compared to non users.
(b) Statins users had a 172% increase in microbleeds compared to non users.
(c) Statins users had a 315% increase in cortico-subcortical microbleeds compared to non users.

The study shows that statin use is associated with increased bleeding in the brain in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.