Las estatinas pueden prevenir la enfermedad de Alzheimer

Las estatinas se usan para bajar los niveles de colesterol en la sangre y reducir el riesgo de enfermedad carciovascular. Un nuevo estudio pone de manifiesto que pueden tener efectos beneficiosos y reducir el riesgo de enfermedad de Alzheimer.

Un estudio a gran escala indica que las estatinas pueden reducir un 79% el riesgo de Alzheimer, incluso en pacientes con predisposición genética. El lider del estudio, Gail Li de la Universidad de Washington en Seattle, y sus colegas se decidieron a comparar los cerebros de personas que habían fallecido entre los 65 y 79 años, y donaron sus órganos. Los investigadores compararon los cerebros de las que habían recibido estatinas con los que no las habían recibido, y encontraron menos lesiones cerebrales en las personas que habían consumido estatinas.

Uno de los coautores, el Dr. Eric Larson, dice que estos resultados pueden dar lugar a nuevas estrategias preventivas. Otros estudios indican que la estatinas no están exentas de efectos adversos como dolor abdominal, diarrea, y naúsea.

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Neurology. 2007 Aug 28;69(9):878-85.
Statin therapy is associated with reduced neuropathologic changes of Alzheimer disease.
Li G, Larson EB, Sonnen JA, Shofer JB, Petrie EC, Schantz A, Peskind ER, Raskind MA, Breitner JC, Montine TJ.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
BACKGROUND: Treatment with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase inhibitors ("statins") has been associated in some epidemiologic studies with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease (AD). However, direct evidence of statin effects on neuropathologic markers of AD is lacking. We investigated whether antecedent statin exposure is associated with neuritic plaque (NP) or neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) burden in a population-based sample of human subjects. METHODS: Brain autopsies were performed on 110 subjects, ages 65 to 79 years, who were cognitively normal at enrollment into the Adult Changes in Thought Study. Neuropathologic findings were compared between statin users with > or =3 prescriptions of > or =15 pills of simvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, or atorvastatin vs nonusers, based on pharmacy dispensing records. RESULTS: After controlling for age at death, gender, cognitive function at study entry, brain weight, and presence of cerebral microvascular lesions, the odds ratio (OR) for each unit increase in Braak NFT stage in statin users vs nonusers was 0.44 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.95). The OR for each unit increase in Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) staging of NPs did not deviate significantly from unity (OR 0.69; 95% CI: 0.32 to 1.52). However, the risk for typical AD pathology (Braak stage > or = IV and CERAD rating > or = moderate) was reduced in statin users (OR 0.20; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate an association between antecedent statin use and neurofibrillary tangle burden at autopsy. Additional study is needed to examine whether statin use may be causally related to decreased development of Alzheimer disease-related neuropathologic changes.

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