The researchers found that people who received Zocor were 25% less likely than those receiving the placebo to have a stroke.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are used primarily to reduce the risk of heart attack. But research published in The Lancet shows that statin drugs also appear to reduce the risk of stroke.
Researchers identified more than 20,000 people at elevated risk for stroke, including people with cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. Study participants were randomly assigned to receive either 40 mg of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Zocor (simvastatin) or a placebo daily for five years.
The researchers found that people who received Zocor were 25% less likely than those receiving the placebo to have a stroke. When they looked only at participants who had preexisting cerebrovascular disease but not coronary heart disease, those who received Zocor were still less likely to have a stroke.
According to the study authors, the results indicate that statin therapy should now be considered routinely for all patients at high risk for stroke, regardless of how high their initial cholesterol levels are and even if they do not have coronary heart disease.
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