In a new study, researchers found that statins may help reduce dementia risk after concussion in older people.
They found that older adults have an increased risk for dementia after concussion but the risk could be reduced by using a statin drug.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Toronto.
In the new study, the team examined whether statin use is linked to the risk of dementia after a concussion.
The study participants included 28,815 older people who had a concussion.
Among the people, about 25% of them received a statin drug within 90 days after a concussion, and the rest did not receive a statin drug.
The researchers found that during a follow-up of 3.9 years, 4,727 patients developed dementia for an incidence of one case per six patients.
In addition, compared with those who did not receive a statin, patients who received a statin had a 13% reduced risk for dementia compared with patients who did not receive a statin.
The reduced dementia risk was seen for different patient groups and was independent of heart disease medication use.
The team says that older adults had a substantial long-term risk of dementia after a concussion, which was linked to a reduction among patients receiving a statin.
A concussion should not be used as a reason to stop statins. Future work needs to confirm the finding.
The leader of the study is Donald A. Redelmeier, M.D., from the University of Toronto.
The study is published in JAMA Neurology.
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