So your doctor needs to come up with other alternatives. You do expect your doctor to fix your thinking and memory problems post stroke, Don't you?
Lowering Blood Pressure and Cholesterol May Not Improve Thinking, Memory
While
drugs that lower blood pressure and cholesterol have been shown to be
beneficial for heart health, a new study has found that two such drugs
may not provide a similar benefit to the brain.
The study, published in Neurology, found that when older people took candesartan plus hydrochlorothiazide to lower blood pressure or rosuvastatin to lower cholesterol, or a combination of the 2 drugs, did not slow decline in thinking and memory.
“Heart disease has been linked to problems with thinking and memory, so we examined whether managing heart disease with medications like blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drugs can reduce some of those cognitive problems,” said Jackie Bosch, PhD, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
The study involved 1,626 people with an average age of 74 years who had a moderate risk of heart disease -- defined as having a 1% chance of having a myocardial infarction or some other heart-related event during the year. Of the group, 45% had high blood pressure.
Participants were given thinking and memory tests at the beginning of the study. They received physical check-ups every 6 months and then had thinking and memory tests again at the end of the study, an average of about 6 years later.
Participants took either candesartan 16 mg/day plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg/day, rosuvastatin 10 mg/day, a combination of the two, or placebo.
The researchers found that lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, or both with these drugs neither reduced nor increased the rate of cognitive decline in study participants when compared to those taking placebo.
“Statin use has previously been associated with cognitive impairment, but this study demonstrated that there was none, which is an important finding for those taking statins,” said Dr. Bosch.
He noted that taking medications for 6 years may not be long enough to prevent cognitive decline, so longer studies are needed.
A limitation of the study was that participants chose to participate, meaning they may have been healthier and at a lower risk of thinking and memory problems than the average population.
Reference: http://n.neurology.org/lookup/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000007174
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology
The study, published in Neurology, found that when older people took candesartan plus hydrochlorothiazide to lower blood pressure or rosuvastatin to lower cholesterol, or a combination of the 2 drugs, did not slow decline in thinking and memory.
“Heart disease has been linked to problems with thinking and memory, so we examined whether managing heart disease with medications like blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drugs can reduce some of those cognitive problems,” said Jackie Bosch, PhD, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
The study involved 1,626 people with an average age of 74 years who had a moderate risk of heart disease -- defined as having a 1% chance of having a myocardial infarction or some other heart-related event during the year. Of the group, 45% had high blood pressure.
Participants were given thinking and memory tests at the beginning of the study. They received physical check-ups every 6 months and then had thinking and memory tests again at the end of the study, an average of about 6 years later.
Participants took either candesartan 16 mg/day plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg/day, rosuvastatin 10 mg/day, a combination of the two, or placebo.
The researchers found that lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, or both with these drugs neither reduced nor increased the rate of cognitive decline in study participants when compared to those taking placebo.
“Statin use has previously been associated with cognitive impairment, but this study demonstrated that there was none, which is an important finding for those taking statins,” said Dr. Bosch.
He noted that taking medications for 6 years may not be long enough to prevent cognitive decline, so longer studies are needed.
A limitation of the study was that participants chose to participate, meaning they may have been healthier and at a lower risk of thinking and memory problems than the average population.
Reference: http://n.neurology.org/lookup/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000007174
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology
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