Recently there have been growing concerns over the side effects of statins. The US Food and Drug Administration updated its safety information for statins to include memory loss, forgetfulness, and confusion as possible risks or side effects of taking statins. However, a recent study suggests that the use of high-intensity statin in the treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is not linked with memory loss. The study findings were published in the Indian Heart Journal on December 18, 2021.
The cardiovascular benefits of statins and their safety with prolonged use are well established. However, the data for their effect on neurocognition are less clear and contradicting. Therefore, Dr Ganesan Karthikeyan and his team conducted a study to assess memory impairment in statin naïve middle-aged ACS patients receiving high dose atorvastatin.
In this prospective observational study, the researchers included a total of 85 statin-naïve patients with ACS admitted from the emergency ward. They performed memory assessments before and 6months after statin therapy using 2 validated scales, the Post-Graduate Institute Memory Scale (PGI-MS), and the Logical Memory Passage Test (LMPT). They determined memory impairment as a difference in any of the test scores of >1 Standard deviation (SD) for age-adjusted normative data. The major outcome assessed was a difference of more than 1 SD in the PGI-MS test score before and six months after atorvastatin therapy.
Key findings of the study:
Upon analysis, the researchers found no significant difference in the mean PGI-MS test scores (baseline 75.4±7.9, 6months 76.5±8.2) or the overall composite scores (baseline 32.02±3.2, 6months 32.8±3.1;), after 6 months of statin use.
However, they noted a small improvement in immediate recall (baseline score 8.5±2.5, 6 months 9.04±1.8) and delayed recall (baseline 6.1±2.6, 6 months 6.9±1.9).
The authors concluded, "High-intensity statin atorvastatin 40 mg use in the treatment of ACS in middle-aged statin-naïve patients is not associated with memory impairment. These data may be reassuring to patients using high-intensity atorvastatin."
For further information:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ihj.2021.12.006