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Updated: May 28, 2026
09:01
Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation
Published on: October 15, 2021
Statins and intracerebral hemorrhage: collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis
Daniel G Hackam1, Mark Woodward, L Kristin Newby
1University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. dhackam@uwo.ca
Circulation
|October 19, 2011
Summary
Statins do not increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, according to a systematic review of randomized and observational studies. Any potential risk is small and outweighed by cardiovascular benefits.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- A prior trial suggested statins might elevate intracerebral hemorrhage risk.
- This systematic review addresses the association between statins and intracerebral hemorrhage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the association of statins with intracerebral hemorrhage risk.
- To analyze data from both randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a systematic search of 17 databases and consulted experts.
- Pooled data from 23 randomized trials and 19 observational studies (248,391 patients, 14,784 hemorrhages).
- Used random-effects models to calculate summary risk ratios, analyzing study designs separately.
Main Results:
- No increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage was found in randomized trials (RR 1.10), cohort studies (RR 0.94), or case-control studies (RR 0.60).
- Heterogeneity was noted in case-control studies (I²=66%) but not in cohort studies (I²=0%) or randomized trials (I²=30%).
- Sensitivity analyses confirmed these findings across various patient and study characteristics.
Conclusions:
- No evidence supports an association between statin use and intracerebral hemorrhage.
- If a risk exists, it is likely small and outweighed by the significant cardiovascular benefits of statins.
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