Among cardiovascular (CV) diseases, stroke is a leading cause of worldwide death, strongly associated with hospitalization, morbidity and long-term disability. In this field, since their discovery, 3-hydroxy-3- methylglutaryl co-enzyme A reductase inhibitors (also known as statins) have been largely investigated as therapeutic approach lowering circulating levels of cholesterol. The effectiveness and safety of statin treatment have been clearly recognized in secondary prevention of several CV diseases. However, some concerns remain about their use in stroke prevention. This is due, at least in part, to the different behaviour of statins toward ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke. In particular, statins have been shown to prevent ischemic stroke by reducing plaque vulnerability in addition to promote the functional recovery of the central nervous system. On the other hand, controversial effects have been reported in secondary prevention trials (mainly considering haemorrhagic transformation). This review will focus on pathophysiological and clinical insights of statin treatment in ischemic stroke prevention, in order to identify potential interesting topics for future researches.
Statin therapy in ischemic stroke prevention
CARBONE, FEDERICO;MONTECUCCO, FABRIZIO
2014-01-01
Abstract
Among cardiovascular (CV) diseases, stroke is a leading cause of worldwide death, strongly associated with hospitalization, morbidity and long-term disability. In this field, since their discovery, 3-hydroxy-3- methylglutaryl co-enzyme A reductase inhibitors (also known as statins) have been largely investigated as therapeutic approach lowering circulating levels of cholesterol. The effectiveness and safety of statin treatment have been clearly recognized in secondary prevention of several CV diseases. However, some concerns remain about their use in stroke prevention. This is due, at least in part, to the different behaviour of statins toward ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke. In particular, statins have been shown to prevent ischemic stroke by reducing plaque vulnerability in addition to promote the functional recovery of the central nervous system. On the other hand, controversial effects have been reported in secondary prevention trials (mainly considering haemorrhagic transformation). This review will focus on pathophysiological and clinical insights of statin treatment in ischemic stroke prevention, in order to identify potential interesting topics for future researches.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.