Pravastatin and stroke

NEW YORK, August 3 (Praxis Press) The role of cholesterol-lowering therapy in reducing the risk of stroke is unknown and several epidemiological studies have concluded that there is no relation between total cholesterol levels and the risk of stroke. To study this relationship further, White and colleagues examined 9,014 patients with coronary artery disease and randomly assigned them to receive either pravastatin or a placebo. During a mean follow-up period of 6 years, 3.7% of the patients taking pravastatin had a stroke, compared with 4.5% of patients taking a placebo—a 19% reduction in the overall risk of stroke. Nonhemorrhagic stroke occurred in 3.5% of the patients taking pravastatin as compared with 4.4% of the patients taking placebo. Pravastatin has a moderate effect in reducing the risk of stroke in patients with previous myocardial infarction or unstable angina.