Statins found to 'reduce risk of dementia'

Drugs used to treat patients with high levels of cholesterol may have a dual function of protecting against the onset of dementia, a study suggests.

Findings published in the latest issue of Neurology show that statins may reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older patients with age-related health problems such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

Lead author of the report, Dr Mary N Haan, from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, said: "After accounting for other key predictors of dementia, we found that statin users were about half as likely to develop dementia as those who did not take them."

According to the results, 27 per cent of 1,674 participants over the age of 60 took a statin drug and a total of 130 developed dementia.

Dr Haan added: "We aren't suggesting that people should take statins unless they are necessary for other reasons. We hope this study and others like it will open the door to trials that would test the ability of statins to prevent dementia and other types of cognitive impairment.

"Health care providers should consider testing their older patients with diabetes or hypertension for cognitive impairment and memory loss."

The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.