Abstract 2211: Statin Therapy May Increase the Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Meta-analysis of 26 Randomized Controlled Trials

• Published in: Stroke (1970) 2012-02, Vol.43 (suppl_1)
• Main Authors: McKinney, James S, Kostis, William J, Kostis, John B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0039-2499; 1524-4628
• DOI: 10.1161/str.43.suppl_1.A2211

Abstract only Introduction--- Statin therapy decreases the risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. However, an increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been observed in some studies. To investigate this issue we performed a meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using statins that reported ICH. Methods--- We performed a Medline literature search through March 18, 2011 and identified additional RCTs by reviewing reference lists of retrieved studies and prior meta-analyses. All RCTs of statin therapy versus placebo or high dose versus low dose statin therapy that reported ICH or hemorrhagic stroke were included. The primary outcome variable was ICH. 26 RCTs were included. All analyses used random effects models and heterogeneity was not observed in any of the analyses. Results--- 84 831 subjects were included in the Active group, and 84 851 in the Control group. A trend towards a higher incidence of ICH was observed in the Active treatment group compared to Control (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 0.91 to 1.45, p =0.24) (Figure). Significant relationships were not observed between the log OR for ICH with achieved LDL in the Active group (slope = 0.0002; 95% CI = -0.0098 to 0.0101, p =0.96) or with the difference in LDL drop between the Active and Control groups (slope = 0.0030; 95% CI = -0.0089 to 0.0149, p =0.62). Total stroke (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.91, p