In a study from Rush University, scientists found that older people taking statin drugs have a lower chance of developing parkinsonism later compared to people who were not taking statins.
The results suggest people using statins may have a lower risk of parkinsonism and that may be partly caused by the protective effect statins may have on arteries in the brain.
Parkinsonism is a term for a group of neurological conditions that cause movement problems including tremors, slowed movement, and stiffness, with Parkinson’s disease being one of the better-known causes.
Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol in the blood and protect against atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to hardening of the arteries, heart attack, and stroke.
In the study, the team looked at 2,841 people with an average age of 76 who did not have parkinsonism at the start of the study. Of those, 936 people, or 33%, were taking statins.
The researchers followed up with participants annually for an average of six years to check the statins they were taking and to test for signs of parkinsonism.
People were considered to have parkinsonism if they met the requirement for mild impairment for two or more of the following symptoms: tremor, stiffness, parkinsonian gait, which is marked by small shuffling steps and general slowness of movement, and bradykinesia, a hallmark of parkinsonism which is difficulty moving the body quickly on command.
By the end of the study, 1,432 people, or 50%, developed signs of parkinsonism.
Out of 936 people taking statins, 418 people, or 45%, developed parkinsonism six years later, compared to 1,014 out of 1,905 people, or 53%, of those who had not been taking statins.
The researchers found that people who had been taking statins, on average, had a 16% lower risk of developing parkinsonism six years later compared to those who had not been taking statins.
About 79% of people on statin therapy were taking moderate or high-intensity statins.
The team found that people taking higher-intensity statins had a 7% lower risk of developing parkinsonism compared to those on low-intensity statins.
The researchers also examined the brains of 1,044 people who died during the study.
They found those who had been using statins had, on average, 37% lower odds of having atherosclerosis compared to those who had not been using statins.
The team says at a minimum, the study suggests brain scans or vascular testing may be beneficial for older adults who show signs of parkinsonism but don’t have classic signs of Parkinson’s disease or do not respond to Parkinson’s disease medications.
If you care about Parkinson’s, please read studies about why exercise may help treat Parkinson’s disease, and people with Parkinson’s may benefit from 7 walking strategies.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about diets that may prevent or even reverse Alzheimer’s disease, and a low-carb diet that could help reverse brain aging.
The study was conducted by Shahram Oveisgharan et al and published in Neurology.
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