Which statin is best for preventing strokes?

This study compared several statin medications for the prevention of cardio-cerebrovascular (CCV) events such as strokes, heart attacks of death. It found that atorvastatin (Lipitor), pitavastatin (Livalo), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor) were all equally effective at preventing CCV events.

The most common cause of CCV events such as strokes or heart attacks is a blockage of a blood vessel. This is often associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood. High blood cholesterol can lead to the build-up of cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels. This leads to more narrow and hard blood vessels. Lowering cholesterol is therefore very important for preventing CCV events. Statins are the most commonly used cholesterol-lowering medications.  

There are many types of statin drugs that have proven effective in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood and reducing the risk of CCV events. However, whether certain statins are more effective than others is still unknown.

This study reviewed the records of 755 patients who had suffered a CCV event. Patients were divided according to which statin they received. 485 patients received atorvastatin, 132 received simvastatin, 96 received rosuvastatin, 34 received pitavastatin and 8 received pravastatin (Pravachol). Patients were followed for an average of 12.4 years to monitor for CCV events.  

During follow-up, 6.36% of patients had a CCV event. The risk of CCV events was the same in all groups, except the pravastatin group which could not be analyzed due to a very small number of participants.

This study showed that atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, and pitavastatin were all equally effective at preventing CCV events in patients with a history of CCV events.

This study included data from medical records only. Information on the participants' lifestyle and genetics were not available. These factors could have influenced the results.