Statin Use Associated With Lower Risk of Developing Parkinsonism in Older Adults

Older adults taking statins had a 16% lower risk of developing parkinsonism compared with those not taking the drug, reports a new study published in Neurology.

“Our 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,” said lead author Shahram Oveisgharan, MD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, in a news release.

The longitudinal study observed 2841 people over the course of 6 years, 33% of whom were taking statins. Researchers evaluated participants annually to see if statins were in use and to test for indicators of parkinsonism. The latter was not measured by movement disorder specialists. Patients were instead considered to have parkinsonism if they fulfilled the requirement for “mild impairment” by exhibiting 2 or more of the following symptoms: tremor, stiffness, parkinsonian gait, a general slowness in movement, and/or bradykinesia.

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At the end of the study, 1432 participants (50%) had developed signs of parkinsonism. Of the 936 people taking statins, 418 (45%) developed Parkinson disease within 6 years, in comparison to 1014 of 1905 (53%) non-statin takers.

After controlling for other risk factors affecting the emergence of parkinsonism, including age, sex, and vascular risks, those taking statins had, on average, a 16% lower risk for developing the condition. The study also suggests the intensity of the statin could affect outcomes: 79% of participants using statins were taking medium to high intensity dosages and had a 7% lower risk of developing parkinsonism than those on low-intensity statins.

“Adults using statins have a lower risk of parkinsonism that may be partially mediated by a lower odds of brain atherosclerosis. These findings highlight the role of cerebrovascular pathologies in late-life parkinsonism and suggest a potential role for statins in decreasing its magnitude,” concluded Oveisgharan and co-authors.

References

Do older adults using statins have lower risk of developing parkinsonism later? News Release. ScienceDaily. March 23, 2022. Accessed April 4, 2022.

Oveisgharan S, Yu L, Barnes L, et al. Association of statins with cerebral atherosclerosis and incident parkinsonism in older adults. Neurology. Published online March 23, 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200182