Full Article
Evidence Summary
What is an Evidence Summary?
Key messages from scientific research that's ready to be acted on
Got It, Hide thisStatins are not associated with cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease
Richardson K, Schoen M, French B, et al. Statins and cognitive function: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:688-97.
Review questions
In people who do not have cognitive impairment, are statins associated with cognitive impairment or dementia? In people who already have cognitive impairment, are statins associated with worse cognitive performance?
Background
Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. There is some concern that statins may have side-effects, such as mild cognitive impairment (problems with thinking, memory, language, and judgment that are noticeable but don’t much affect daily living), dementia (cognitive impairment that is serious enough to interfere with daily living), or worsening of cognitive performance.
How the review was done
The researchers did a systematic review, searching for studies published until October 2012.
They found 57 studies and included 3 randomized controlled trials plus 24 studies of other types, with more than 4 million adults.
Key features of the studies were:
- the treatments included atorvastatin (Lipitor®), lovastatin (Altocor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®), pravastatin(Pravachol®), rosuvastatin (Crestor®), and simvastatin (Zocor®);
- statins were compared with no statin use or placebo; and
- in people without cognitive impairment, the outcomes included new mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (the most common cause of dementia); some studies also looked for worse cognitive performance in people with or without cognitive impairment.
What the researchers found
Overall, the quality of evidence was low to moderate.
People without cognitive impairment
Compared with placebo or no statins, statins:
- were not associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease; and
- were not associated with reduced cognitive performance.
People who already had cognitive impairment
Compared with placebo or no statins, statins were not associated with reduced cognitive performance.
Conclusions
Statins are not associated with cognitive impairment or dementia or with poorer cognitive performance in people who do not have cognitive impairment. In people who already have cognitive impairment, statins are not associated with poorer cognitive performance.
Statins vs placebo or no statins
| Group | Outcomes | Findings |
| People with no cognitive impairment | Mild cognitive impairment | No increased risk with statins |
|
| Dementia | No increased risk with statins |
|
| Alzheimer disease | No increased risk with statins |
|
| Cognitive performance | Not worse with statins |
| People who already had cognitive impairment | Cognitive performance | Not worse with statins |
Related Topics
Glossary
A fat-like substance with a soft, waxy texture.
Trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect everyday life.
A harmless, inactive, and simulated treatment.
Studies where people are assigned to one of the treatments purely by chance.
A comprehensive evaluation of the available research evidence on a particular topic.
Related Evidence Summaries
-
Interventions to optimise prescribing for older people in care homes
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2016)
-
Deprescribing can reduce the number of inappropriate medications taken by older patients, and may increase longevity
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2016)
-
Mobile phone text messages help people with chronic conditions take medications as prescribed
JAMA Internal Medicine (2016)
