Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia

This study was published in the American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy 2012 Aug 22

Study title and authors:
The Effect of HMG: CoA Reductase Inhibitors on Cognition in Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia: A Prospective Withdrawal and Rechallenge Pilot Study.

Padala KP, Padala PR, McNeilly DP, Geske JA, Sullivan DH, Potter JF.
Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Central Arkansas Veterans Health Administration System, Little Rock, Arkansas; Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22921881

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact statins have on cognition. The study included 18 older subjects with Alzheimer's dementia who were on statin therapy who underwent a 6-week withdrawal phase of statins followed by a 6-week rechallenge with the drug. The primary outcome measure was cognition, measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

The mini–mental state examination (MMSE) or Folstein test is a brief 30-point questionnaire test that is used to screen for cognitive impairment. It is commonly used in medicine to screen for dementia. Any score greater than or equal to 25 points (out of 30) indicates a normal cognition. Below this, scores can indicate severe (less than 9 points), moderate (10-20 points) or mild (21-24 points) cognitive impairment.

The study found:
(a) The subjects had an improvement in MMSE scores with discontinuation of statins and a decrease in MMSE scores after rechallenge.
(b) Cholesterol levels increased with statin discontinuation and decreased with rechallenge.

The head investigator of the study, Dr Kalpana P. Padala from the University of Arkansas, concluded that: "The study found an improvement in cognition with discontinuation of statins and worsening with rechallenge. Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia".