Statins After Stroke or TIA: More Evidence of Benefits

A substudy of the SPARCL trial indicates that patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack benefit from statin therapy regardless of baseline diabetes.

The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) trial showed that statin therapy reduces stroke recurrence and cardiovascular morbidity in patients without known coronary heart disease or other indication for statins (see JW Neurol Jun 22 2010). To determine whether patients with diabetes derive greater or lesser benefit from statins than other patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), the SPARCL investigators have performed manufacturer-funded, prespecified subgroup analyses of patients with and without type 2 diabetes.

The SPARCL trial included patients who had had a stroke or TIA within 1 to 6 months before randomization to atorvastatin or placebo and had a baseline LDL cholesterol level of 100 …

Reviewing Author

Hooman Kamel, MD

Disclosures

Speaker’s bureauGenentech

Grant / Research supportNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Michael Goldberg Stroke Research Fund

Editorial boardsPLOS One; Scientific Reports

Leadership positions in professional societiesNeurocritical Care Society (Research Committee Member)