Study: Statins lower stroke risk in older people

(U.S. News and World Report) UPDATED 2008-09-03
A new study suggests that taking a cholesterol-lowering drug such as Lipitor after suffering a stroke or mini-stroke reduces an older person's risk of having another stroke much as it does in younger stroke patients. For the study, researchers looked at 2,249 people age 65 and older and 2,482 people under age 65 who had just suffered a stroke or mini-stroke. In each group, about half the patients were given Lipitor, and about half received a placebo. Investigators found that stroke risk was reduced by 26 percent in the younger group and by 10 percent in the older group.  Read full story >
See all Heart Disease News
Related: Lipitor, statins