An observational study published in the journal Neurology reported that Statins might protect against age-related Parkinsonism. Elderly people who were on statin treatment had a lower risk for Parkinsonism than those not taking statins.

2841 older adults with a Mean age of 76.3 (SD=7.4) years were enrolled, 75% of whom were women. During a six-year follow-up, 50 percent of the patients acquired Parkinson′s disease. Treatment with statins resulted in a 16 per cent lower risk of developing Parkinsonism after correcting for demographics, vascular risk factors, and illnesses. When compared to low-intensity statin medication, moderate- or high-intensity statin therapy was related to a 7% lower incidence of Parkinsonism.

Researchers studied the brains of 1044 people who died during the study at a mean age of 89 years and found that statin use before death was linked to a 37 per cent lower risk of cerebral atherosclerosis than not taking statins before death.It was also seen that in 17% of the participants, an association between statins and Parkinsonism was mediated by atherosclerosis.

These findings emphasize the impact of cerebrovascular diseases in late-life Parkinsonism and suggest that statins may play a role in reducing its severity. (Medscape Medical News, April 08, 2022;Neurology. Published online March 23, 2022.)