Statins, Metformin Can Cut Odds for Brain Aneurysms
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 6, 2024 -- Common drugs used to control cholesterol, blood sugar and high blood pressure might also lower a person’s risk of stroke, a new study finds.
The researchers evaluated the risk of brain aneurysms that cause bleeding strokes in patients.
For the study, they looked at the medical records for nearly 4,900 patients who had a bleeding stroke, and compared them against nearly 44,000 people who never had a brain aneurysm.
They identified four specific drugs that appeared to lower the risk of a brain aneurysm, after accounting for other risk factors:
-
The high blood pressure drug lisinopril reduced risk by 37%.
-
The cholesterol drug simvastatin decreased risk by 22%.
-
The diabetes drug metformin lowered risk by 42%.
-
The prostate drug tamsulosin reduced risk by 45%.
“We urgently need new ways to prevent this type of stroke, which occurs at younger ages and with a higher death rate than other types of stroke,” said researcher Jos Peter Kanning, with the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands.
“Our current surgical treatments for brain aneurysms have a risk of permanent disability and death that often outweighs the potential benefits, so preventing rupture with a noninvasive drug would be very beneficial,” Kanning added in a university news release.
On the other hand, four drugs increased the risk of a bleeding stroke: the blood thinner warfarin, the antidepressant venlafaxine, the antipsychotic prochlorperazine, and the painkiller co-codamol.
The findings, which were published June 5 in the journal Neurology, only show an association between these drugs and stroke risk, the researchers noted.
“Future research is needed to investigate these associations and determine whether these drugs are effective in reducing the risk of hemorrhagic stroke,” Kanning said. “This work could also help us identify additional risk factors for subarachnoid hemorrhage, potentially leading to new therapies to manage aneurysms.”
Sources
- American Academy of Neurology, news release, June 5, 2024
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Childhood Exposure to Air Pollution May Trigger Bronchitis Years Later
FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- Exposure to air pollution as a child increases an adult’s risk of bronchitis, a new study warns. Young adults with bronchitis symptoms tended to...
Bird Flu Virus Stays Active on Cow Milking Equipment for at Least One Hour
FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- The spread of H5N1 avian flu to dairy cows has health experts and many Americans on edge, and now a new study finds the virus stays viable on milking...
Who Do You Look to as Your Health 'Role Model'?
THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 -- Role models are important in health as well as in life, but such inspiration is more likely to come from your mom than a celebrity like Dwayne...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.
