Statin Use and the Risk of Parkinson's Disease: An Updated Meta-Analysis

Abstract

IntroductionIn response to the ongoing debate over the relationship between the use of statins and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to examine their association.MethodsWe conducted a review of the literature using electronic databases supplemented by a manual search to identify potentially relevant case-control or cohort studies. Summary relative risk (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also conducted.ResultsEleven studies (five case-control and six cohort) with a total of 3,513,209 participants and 21,011 PD cases were included. Statin use was associated with a lower risk of PD, with a summary RR of 0.81 (95% CI 0.71–0.92). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of results. Subgroup analyses showed that neither study design nor study region significantly influenced the effect estimates. However, subgroup studies adjusted for age or sex had a greater inverse association than did unadjusted analyses (age-adjusted RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.95; age-unadjusted RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.99 and sex-adjusted RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59–0.98; sex-unadjusted RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79–0.92).ConclusionsResults of this systematic review suggest that statin use is associated with a reduced PD risk. However, randomized controlled trials and more observational studies should be performed before strong conclusions are drawn.

Statin Use and Its Association with Essential Tremor and Parkinson's Disease

“…In an adjusted model, PD was inversely associated with statin use (current or ever, OR = 0.56), but with marginal statistical significance (p = 0.07). This inverse association between PD and statin use has been previously observed in larger studies [5,7]. ET was not associated with statin use (current or ever); however, there was an inverse association in an analysis that assessed longer term use of statins.…”

“…However, long term statin use (≥ 5 years) was inversely associated with PD in a sample of 312 PD patients and 342 controls from three rural California counties [5]. Attempting to summarize data from eleven studies, a recent meta-analysis concluded that statin use was associated with a reduced risk of PD (summary relative risk = 0.81, 95% confidence interval = 0.71 – 0.92) [7]. …”

Statin use and delayed onset of Huntington's disease

“…Three-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) have been theorized to have neuroprotective effects in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. [7][8][9][10] In HD animal models, statins are known to upregulate nitric oxide synthase, reduce the inflammatory response, and decrease oxidative stress. [11][12][13] This antioxidative effect of statins is particularly relevant for HD, in which reactive oxygen species are thought to impact the AMD.…”

Rosuvastatin alleviates high-salt and cholesterol diet-induced cognitive impairment in rats via Nrf2–ARE pathway

“…Greater than 50% of subjects participating in clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease are positive for ApoE4 [17]. Similarly, two meta-analyses have reported a correlation between statin therapy and a reduced risk in the development of Parkinson's disease [18,19]. Rosuvastatin, a widely prescribed HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has been used for the treatment of dyslipidemia (LDL-C) and has been proven to be more effective in comparison to other members of its class [20].…”