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Current Understanding: |
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The tables below summarize results from a series of observational studies of statin use in relation to AD dementia risk. Although there is significant heterogeneity of findings across studies, there is currently insufficient evidence to conclude that statin use affects risk of Alzheimer’s disease or all cause dementia. While research considering statin use at or within one year of the time of dementia consistently reports protective associations between statin use and Alzheimer’s disease, such studies are particularly susceptible to bias from and reverse causation (given that persons with cognitive deterioration may be less likely to be prescribed or continue taking a statin). Conversely, consistent with the results of randomized clinical trials, studies that tracked AD dementia risk over several years following assessment of statin use at a set “baseline” individually and collectively report no association. However, the relation between statin use and Alzheimer’s disease in the general population remains an open question. Most of these studies were conducted prior to the wide adoption of statin use for primary prevention. They are limited by small numbers of statin users and could not consider the impact of use of statins in midlife or sustained statin use from midlife to late life on dementia risk. Regardless, statins have demonstrated benefits on cardiovascular disease and mortality and are therefore are increasingly widely recommended for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and associated mortality. For a more in-depth discussion of these studies considering the association between statin use and AD, please see the Discussion. An expanded examination of the relation between statins and dementia or cognitive decline can be found in the related published review, Power MC, Weuve J, Sharrett AR, Blacker D, Gottesman RF (Nature Reviews Neurology 2015, doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2015.35. |
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