title: Long-term statin use and the risk of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have suggested a relation between statin use and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the conclusions are inconsistent. Some studies found an increased incidence of PD among statin users; others found a decreased incidence. Others showed that PD incidence was related to baseline cholesterol levels.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between baseline levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), long-term statin use, and the incidence of PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of a historical cohort of 94,308 men and women in Israel aged 45 years or more without PD or statin use at baseline, between 2000 and 2007. PD incidence among long-term statin users was compared with that among nonusers. The cohort was divided into 4 groups according to baseline LDL-C levels, and their relative risks of developing PD were calculated with adjustment for potential confounders (sex, age, socioeconomic status, history of ischemic heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and smoking). The association between different variables was analyzed with a Cox proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 1035 incident cases of PD were identified. Statin use was associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of PD (odds ratio, 0.73, 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.88; P=.001). No association was found between baseline LDL-C levels and PD risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide additional evidence regarding the lower incidence of PD among statin users. These findings warrant further research regarding the possible neuroprotective role of statins in PD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Herzog Hospital, Giv'at Sha'ul, POB 3900, Jerusalem 91035, Israel. E-mail: bityaf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bitya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Amnon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lahad
authors.forename: Yizchak
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dresner
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinker
mesh_terms: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors