Elderly people who take a cholesterol drug after a stroke or mini-stroke lower their risk of having another stroke just as much as younger people in the same situation, according to research published in the of Neurology.

" Even though the majority of strokes and myocardial infarctions occur in people who are 65 and older, studies have found that cholesterol-lowering drugs are not prescribed as often for older people as they are for younger people," said study author Seemant Chaturvedi, of Wayne State University in Detroit.. " These results show that using these drugs is just as beneficial for people who are over 65 as they are for younger people."

The study involved 4,731 people age 18 and older who had a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, or mini-stroke. The 2,249 people age 65 and older were in one group, with an average age of 72, and the 2,482 people under age 65 made up the other group, with an average age of 54. Within each group, about half of the people received the cholesterol-lowering drug Atorvastatin ( Lipitor ) and about half received a placebo.

The par
ticipants were then followed for an average of four and a half years.

LDL cholesterol, was lowered by an average of 61 points during the study for the elderly group, and by 59 points for the younger group. Those in the younger group reduced their risk for another stroke by 26 percent; the risk was reduced by 10 percent in the elderly group.

" We tested to see whether age had any effect on how well the treatment worked, and we did not find any differences between young people and older people," Chaturvedi said.

The study was part of a large study called the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol.

Source: American Academy of Neurology, 2008

XagenaMedicine2008



Link: Xapedia - Medical Encyclopedia