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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors improve acute ischemic stroke outcome
Majaz Moonis1, Kevin Kane, Ute Schwiderski
1Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. moonism@ummhc.org
Background And Purpose:
Statins reduce the risk of stroke recurrence, but the benefits of statins in improving outcome of acute stroke patients have not been well explored.
Methods:
We assessed potential effects of statins initiated before or within 4 weeks of stroke on 90-day outcome. Favorable outcomes were National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score < or =2 at 12 weeks and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) < or =2.
Results:
Before stroke, 129 patients were receiving statins, 123 initiated statins within 4 weeks, and 600 patients were not on statins. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that poststroke statins were associated with a significant probability of a favorable outcome at 12 weeks [NIHSS (P=0.002; OR, 1.92; CI, 1.27 to 2.91) and mRS (P=0.033; OR, 1.57; CI, 1.04 to 2.38)], whereas prestroke statins demonstrated a trend toward significance.
Conclusions:
These preliminary results suggest that statin use may improve outcome of acute ischemic stroke.
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