HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2006--Statin drugs may help treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by reducing inflammation according to researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (Wolozin B, Manger J, Bryant R, Cordy J, Green RC, McKee A, Acta Neurol Scand Suppl. August, 2006;114: s185:63-70). The authors review current research into the relationship between cholesterol, statin drugs and AD and note that “demonstration that cholesterol lowering medicines, such as statins, benefit subjects with AD would have a large and immediate impact on public health.” Their studies compared the brains of AD patients who took statins with those who did not and found evidence that statins strikingly reduced signs of inflammation in the brain, pointing to a possible mechanism through which statin drugs might slow or prevent the progression of the disease.
