Alzheimer\'s Patients Hmg-Coa Reductase Inhibitors

¶ … Alzheimer's Patients

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are rate-limiting enzymes used to prevent cholesterol synthesis. These drugs are used primarily in patients that are at risk for the development of cardiovascular disease. However, recent studies suggest that statins may also be helpful for patients with Alzheimer's Disease. The use of statins in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease is a new topic, but one that deserves to be considered by future researchers. The following will explore the current body of research concerning the potential benefits of statins for Alzheimer's patients. It will present research plans regarding further exploration of the possibilities that lie in the use of statins in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Literature Review

Literature regarding the use of statins in the reduction of high cholesterol and the prevention of heart disease is abundant. However, only a small number of research studies exist regarding the use of statins in Alzheimer's patients. The potential for using statins in this manner is based on evidence that high cholesterol is linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease, as well as coronary artery disease (Sparks, 2002). This supposition is supported by a study that indicates a reduction in Alzheimer's Disease biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (Riekse, Li, & Petrie et al., 2006). Post-mortem studies also indicated a reduction in Alzheimer's Disease among statin users (Li, Larson, & Sonnen et al., 2007).

Current theory regarding the connection between cholesterol and the development of Alzheimer's Disease is based on the presence of a? aggregation in the formation of neuronal plaques (Hoglund & Blennow, 2007; Meske, Albert, & Richter et al., 2003). The cholesterol hypothesis suggests that increased levels of cholesterol increases the presence of a?, therefore, statins have the effect of lowering the production of a?, thus slowing the development of Alzheimer's Disease (Hoglund & Blennow, 2007). Cohort studies support this supposition (Wolozin, Kellman, & Ruosseau et al., 2000). Algotsson & Winblad, (2004) noted that various statins are not considered therapeutically interchangeable.

Although academic evidence contains studies that support the protective effect of statins for Alzheimer's Disease, other studies caution against inappropriate conclusions. The protective effect of statins in Alzheimer's Disease is questionable, depending on the statistical methods used (Li, Higdon, & Kukull et al., 2005). A case study suggested a lowered risk for the development of dementia associated with statin use (Jick, Zorenberg, & Jick et al., 2001). However, this study used case studies with statistical corrections for confounding variables. It is not considered inconclusive upon closer investigation. Reiss & Wirkoeski (2007) investigated the appropriateness of using statins to treat neurological disorders and also found the evidence to be inconclusive.

Research that suggests statins are helpful in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease are largely based on theory and supposition. No randomized studies could be found that isolated the use of statins in connection to Alzheimer's Disease. Many of the studies regarding the use of statins in connection with Alzheimer's Disease were an afterthought of studies regarding statins and coronary artery disease. This resulted in studies that had too few controls regarding Alzheimer's Disease to be considered credible studies. This research gaps forms the basis of the proposed research study.

Research Methods

At the current time, no clinical studies have been conducted that use a randomized sample and strict controls in relation to the use of statins to prevent and control Alzheimer's Disease. The proposed research intends to fill this important research gap and conduct a clinical study that compares the development of Alzheimer's Disease between patients that use statins and a group that does not use statins for a specified amount of time. These two groups will not be using statins for control of coronary artery disease, to eliminate any confounding variables that may be a result of CAD and Alzheimer's. Patients will be given statins for the sole purpose of preventing and/or controlling Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of the proposed research is to provide reliable research that examines the potential for use of statins to control Alzheimer's Disease. The research will be conducted using strict clinical controls and under the direction of senior staff. This research will provide valuable insight into the validity of using statins to prevent and control the development of Alzheimer's Disease in patients who are at risk for developing it.