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Statin administration prior to ischaemic stroke onset and survival: exploratory evidence from matched treatment–control study

In addition to their lipid‐lowering effects, it has been speculated that statins may also have beneficial effects on cerebral circulation and brain parenchyma during ischaemic stroke and reperfusion. We hypothesized that patients who had taken statins prior to stroke onset may have a better survival rate at 1 month and during the follow‐up period. We retrospectively studied consecutive ischaemic stroke patients admitted to an acute stroke unit and at least a month's follow‐up. From these, we included those patients who, at admission, had reported the use of a statin prior to the stroke onset in the statin group (n = 205). Each patient in the statin group was matched with two patients who reported no statin use (n = 410). Using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, we adjusted for variables that significantly differed between treatment groups or that independently predicted mortality. After adjusting for those variables, statin use was associated with reduced mortality at 1 month [odds ratio 0.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09–0.67] and during the follow‐up period (hazard ratio 0.57; 95% CI 0.35–0.93). The use of statins prior to stroke onset is associated with improved stroke survival within this cohort study with matched controls.