Statins Cause Amnesia, Really?

June 2nd, 2024 | ADMIN

Statins Cause Amnesia, Really?

Statins are a blood lipid-lowering agent that is often used by patients with dyslipidemia (increased levels of fat/cholesterol in the blood), heart disease and stroke. However, recently new concerns have emerged among patients who take statins, they claim to experience "forgetfulness attacks", dementia, and confusion and associate this with the statins they take. Is it true that taking statin-type drugs can cause memory problems? Let's review the latest evidence currently available.

The latest research now shows that statins may play a role in preventing memory loss and improving a person's memory condition through blood vessel repair mechanisms, which will then improve blood flow to the brain. A meta-analysis (a study that summarizes and analyzes the results of a number of studies) covering 23 studies found that taking statins actually showed benefits for patients with dementia. There was an improvement in cognitive scores in patients taking simvastatin, but not in patients taking atorvastatin. 1 Another meta-analysis including 31 studies found that taking statins reduced the risk of developing dementia. Taking statins for one year with slowly increasing doses is associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of dementia. 2 Other studies with fairly large samples (over 1000 patients) show that statin consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of dementia. 17 On the other hand, Other, similar studies found that taking statins increased the risk of liver disorders, heart muscle disorders, and diabetes, but memory impairment was not one of the reported side effects.17 A randomized, controlled clinical study with a large sample size actually found that therapy with simvastatin did reduce blood cholesterol levels but did not affect cognitive function and did not have a significant effect on patients with Alzheimer's dementia.18

A 2015 study found that a small percentage of patients taking statins experienced amnesia (memory loss) in the first 30 days of treatment. However, the findings of this study are not strong enough to be used as a basis for the claim that the amnesia in these patients was caused by taking statins, because the same symptoms were also found in patients taking other cholesterol-lowering drugs. 19 In addition, the design of this study was not strong enough because it was not Blinded randomized clinical trials are the preferred study design to determine the effect of a treatment, so this study cannot exclude external factors that might influence the memory condition of the patients involved.

Memory disorders may be caused by side effects of drugs or interactions between several drugs being consumed. Some drugs that are known to affect memory are antidepressants, tranquilizers, anti-hypertension, antihistamines, and metformin. Apart from that, memory problems can also be caused by sleep disorders, lack of vitamin intake (especially B-1 and B-12), and disorders of the thyroid gland. If you experience memory problems, discuss your complaints with your doctor.

So based on the evidence above, we can conclude that statin consumption does not cause a significant risk of memory impairment. On the other hand, the benefits of statins as controlling blood cholesterol, preventing plaque rupture on blood vessel walls, and improving the condition of blood vessels are actually beneficial in increasing blood flow to the brain and preventing diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. If you are currently taking a statin, continue as recommended by your doctor, because prevention is always better than cure.

Reference:

  1. Zhu X, Dai W, Ma T. Overview the effect of statin therapy on dementia risk, cognitive changes and its pathologic change: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Translational Medicine. 2018;6(22):435-435.

  2. Zhang X, Wen J, Zhang Z. Statins use and risk of dementia. Medicine. 2018;97(30):e11304.

  3. Carlsson CM, et al. Effects of simvastatin on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and cognition in middle-aged adults at risk for Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2008; 13:187–197. [PubMed: 18376061]

  4. Gibellato MG, Moore JL, Selby K, Bower EA. Effects of lovastatin and pravastatin on cognitive function in military aircrew. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2001; 72:805–812. [PubMed: 11565814]

  5. Kostis JB, Rosen RC, Wilson AC. Central nervous system effects of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors: lovastatin and pravastatin on sleep and cognitive performance in patients with hypercholesterolemia. J Clin Pharmacol. 1994; 34:989–996. [PubMed: 7836550]

  6. Muldoon MF, et al. Effects of lovastatin on cognitive function and psychological well-being. Am J Med. 2000; 108:538–546. [PubMed: 10806282]

  7. Muldoon MF, Ryan CM, Sereika SM, Flory JD, Manuck SB. Randomized trial of the effects of simvastatin on cognitive functioning in hypercholesterolemic adults. Am J Med. 2004; 117:823– 829. [PubMed: 15589485]

  8. Summers MJ, Oliver KR, Coombes JS, Fassett RG. Effect of atorvastatin on cognitive function in patients from the Lipid Lowering and Onset of Renal Disease (LORD) trial. Pharmacotherapy. 2007; 27:183–190. [PubMed: 17253908]

  9. Trompet S, et al. Pravastatin and cognitive function in the elderly. Results of the PROSPER study. J Neurol. 2010; 257:85–90. [PubMed: 19653027]

  10. Harrison RW, Ashton CH. Do cholesterol-lowering agents affect brain activity? A comparison of simvastatin, pravastatin, and placebo in healthy volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1994; 37:231– 236. [PubMed: 8198930]

  11. Santanello NC, et al. Effect of pharmacologic lipid lowering on health-related quality of life in older persons: results from the Cholesterol Reduction in Seniors Program (CRISP) Pilot Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1997; 45:8–14. [PubMed: 8994481]

  12. Gengo F, et al. Effects of treatment with lovastatin and pravastatin on daytime cognitive performance. Clin Cardiol. 1995; 18:209–214. [PubMed: 7788948]

  13. Roth T, et al. Comparative effects of pravastatin and lovastatin on nighttime sleep and daytime performance. Clin Cardiol. 1992; 15:426–432. [PubMed: 1617822]

  14. Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group. MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20, 536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2002; 360:7–22. [PubMed: 12114036]

  15. Shepherd J, et al. Pravastatin in elderly individuals at risk of vascular disease (PROSPER): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2002; 360:1623–1630. [PubMed: 12457784]

  16. Cutler N, et al. Effects of treatment with simvastatin and pravastatin on cognitive function in patients with hypercholesterolaemia. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1995; 39:333–336. [PubMed: 7619678]

  17. Power M, Weuve J, Sharrett A, Blacker D, Gottesman R. Statins, cognition, and dementia—systematic review and methodological commentary. Nature Reviews Neurology. 2015;11(4):220-229.

  18. Sano M, Bell K, Galasko D, Galvin J, Thomas R, van Dyck C et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of simvastatin to treat Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2011;77(6):556-563.

  19. Strom B, Schinnar R, Karlawish J, Hennessy S, Teal V, Bilker W. Statin Therapy and Risk of Acute Memory Impairment. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015;175(8):1399.

(SSi, Artikel Statin-Demensia, 13 Maret 2019)

Share to