Study: Statin warnings may have been premature

PROVIDENCE – A systematic review of 25 clinical trials led by Rhode Island Hospital’s Dr. Brian Ott found that warnings regarding high cholesterol drugs’ effect on memory and cognitive function may have been premature.

The drugs, known as statins, have been in a kind of limbo since a 2012 FDA finding linking them to cognitive impairment.

The clinical trials reviewed involved nearly 47,000 people and the findings were published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Ott, who is also a professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, found no significant effect of statin use on the mental capacity of people with normal brain functioning or even those who have Alzheimer’s disease.

“We found no significant effects of statin treatment on cognition,” said Ott. “Given these results, it is questionable whether the FDA class warning about potential cognitive adverse effects of statins is still warranted.”

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Since 2012, the FDA has required labels on statin packaging warning that the drugs could change users’ cognitive abilities. The cognitive changes included alterations of attention span, problem solving, memory, language, and visual-spatial abilities.

Ott and his team of researchers believe that there is more benefit to be had by staying with statin therapy to manage heart-related diseases and prevent strokes than by avoiding them.

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