Q&A With Heart Experts: In this series, heart specialists answer common questions about statins and heart health.
Do statins cause memory issues or other neurocognitive changes?
No, there is no evidence to suggest that using statins causes memory problems or makes it harder to think clearly.
In a meta-analysis of 16 studies, there was no association with the use of statins and short-term cognitive impairments in adult patients without baseline cognitive issues. Another meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled clinical trials also did not show any significant cognitive impairments with statin use. This was consistent across memory, processing speed, and executive function domains. The lack of cognitive impairment is also consistent across different statin types as well. Additionally, long-term observational analyses show up to 63% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s dementia in patients with statin therapy. Studies have also shown lower incidence of all causes of dementia among statin users.
Larger clinical trials are underway to further understand if statin use or initiation at older ages leads to cognitive impairment (STAREE and PREVENTABLE trials).
However, to date there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that statins are not significantly associated with cognitive impairments.
Key Points
- There is a large body of high-quality evidence that statins are not associated with neurocognitive impairment.
- There is evidence showing statins might prevent neurocognitive disorders, including dementia.