Statin discontinuation in persons with and without Alzheimer's disease

Although statin use is reported to decrease after dementia diagnosis, time to statin discontinuation and factors associated with discontinuation have not been studied in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We compared the risk of discontinuation and factors associated with discontinuation, including secondary and primary prevention indication, in statin users with and without AD.

The register-based Medication Use and Alzheimer's Disease (MEDALZ) cohort includes community dwellers with a clinically verified AD diagnosed during 2005-2011 in Finland. On the AD diagnosis date (index date), each person with AD was matched with a comparison person without AD. We included 25,137 people with AD and 22,692 without AD who used statin on the index date or initiated within 90 days after. Cox regression models restricted to 4-year follow-up were conducted.

The median time to statin discontinuation was 1.46 years in people with AD and 1.36 years in people without AD. People with AD were more likely to discontinue than people without AD (adjusted HR (aHR) 1.20 (95% CI 1.18-1.24)). This was observed for both primary (aHR 1.11 (1.06-1.16)) and secondary prevention (aHR 1.30 (1.25-1.35)) purpose. Factors associated with discontinuation included higher age and female gender, whereas concomitant cardiovascular drug use and previous statin use were associated with decreased risk.

The absolute difference in discontinuation rates was small, and the same factors were associated with statin discontinuation in people with and without AD. The findings suggest that cognitive decline plays a minor role on statin discontinuation.