Do Statins Reduce Recurrent Ischemic Stroke without Increasing Intracranial Hemorrhages Risk in Patients with Cerebral Microbleeds?

Statins have demonstrated efficacy for secondary prevention after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), but concerns have lingered about a possible increased risk for intracranial hemorrhage. These concerns are amplified when cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are present, as CMBs on their own are also associated with conditions with higher hemorrhagic risk. To shed additional light on the associations among statins, CMBs, and stroke outcomes, investigators from the Microbleeds International Collaborative Network used data from 32 prospective hospital registries to identify 16,373 adults (mean age 70.5; 43% female) evaluated for ischemic stroke or TIA who had a baseline MRI to quantify the number and location of CMBs. This cohort inc…