Statin drugs are used to lower cholesterol, but new research finds that the drugs also may help protect the brain against traumatic injury.
The study by Johns Hopkins researchers looked at data on patients over 65 years of age gathered as part of the National Study on Cost Outcomes of Trauma at 69 U.S. hospitals.
The researchers identified 523 patients with moderate to severe brain injury, 117 of whom were using statins when they were injured. The statin users were 76 percent less likely to die than those who were not using the drugs.
The researchers believe that the statins have anti-inflammatory properties and that the drugs also play a role in moderating the body’s immune response.
Additional damage may result after brain damage when the body’s immune response kicks in, attacking healthy tissue along with injured tissue. The statins may prevent the secondary damage from occurring.
The researchers say the results may lead to development of drugs that treat or protect against traumatic brain injury. Results appear in the Journal of Trauma.
LEARN MORE: jhu.edu, search “brain injury, statins”
SOURCE: Johns Hopkins University