Statin Therapy For Young Stroke Victims

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Cholesterol lowering drugs have been proven to save lives so much so that when an older patient survives a stroke, he is likely to be placed on a cholesterol-lowering drug – a statin - to reduce the risk of a recurrent stroke.

Now there is information that these drugs should be used after a stroke in people of all ages. It's estimated that only about 5% of strokes are experienced by young adults under the age of 50 but this study suggests that they may also benefit from statin therapy.

This study, which followed 215 young stroke survivors over 9 years, found that those who were treated with a statin at any time after their stroke were 77% less likely to have another stroke or experience other vascular problems compared to the young patients who never got statins. It makes sense to include them in this group as well.

Reported By Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor