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Early Statin Use and the Progression of Alzheimer Disease: A Total Population-Based Case-Control Study
Lin FC, Chuang YS, Hsieh HM, Lee TC, Chiu KF, Liu CK, Wu MT.. Medicine, 2015-11-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The protective effect of statin on Alzheimer disease (AD) is still controversial, probably due to the debate about when to start the use of statin and the lack of any large-scale randomized evidence that actually supports the hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to examine the protective effect of early statin use on mild-to-moderate AD in the total Taiwanese population.This was a total population-based case-control study, using the total population of Taiwanese citizens seen in general medical practice; therefore, the findings can be applied to the general population. The study patients were those with newly diagnosed dementia (ICD-9 290.x) and prescribed any acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) from the Taiwan National Health Insurance dataset in 1997 to 2008. The newly diagnosed eligible mild-to-moderate AD patients were traced from the dates of their index dates, which was defined as the first day to receive any AChEI treatment, back to 1 year (exposure period) to categorize them into AD with early statin use and without early statin use. Early statin use was defined as patients using statin before AChEI treatment. Alzheimer disease patients with early statin use were those receiving any statin treatment during the exposure period. Then, we used propensity-score-matched strategy to match these 2 groups as 1:1. The matched study patients were followed-up from their index dates. The primary outcome was the discontinuation of AChEI treatment, indicating AD progression.There were 719 mild-to-moderate AD-paired patients with early statin use and without early statin use for analyses. Alzheimer disease progression was statistically lower in AD patients with early statin use than those without (P = 0.00054). After adjusting for other covariates, mild-to-moderate AD patients with early stain use exhibited a 0.85-risk (95% CI = 0.76-0.95, P = 0.0066) to have AD progression than those without.Early statin use was significantly associated with a reduction in AD progression in mild-to-moderate AD patients. The future randomized trial studies can confirm our findings.
Key findings
- After adjusting for other covariates, mild-to-moderate AD patients with early stain use exhibited a 0.85-risk (95% CI = 0.76-0.95, P = 0.0066) to have AD progression than those without.Early statin use was significantly associated with a reduction in AD progression in mild-to-moderate AD patients.
- The future randomized trial studies can confirm our findings.
Why it matters
In this total population-based case-control study in Taiwan, mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease patients with early statin use had a 0.85-risk of AD progression compared with those without early statin use, a significant association. The authors state that future randomized trial studies can confirm these findings, so this is not yet proof of a treatment effect.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Medicine: journal h-index 285 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 90 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.9 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 18 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Ming‐Tsang Wu: h-index 61 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Kaohsiung Medical University: institution h-index 330 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26632742) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Lin, F. C., Chuang, Y. S., Hsieh, H. M., Lee, T. C., Chiu, K. F., Liu, C. K., et al. (2015). Early Statin Use and the Progression of Alzheimer Disease: A Total Population-Based Case-Control Study. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000002143
Vancouver
Lin FC, Chuang YS, Hsieh HM, Lee TC, Chiu KF, Liu CK, et al. Early Statin Use and the Progression of Alzheimer Disease: A Total Population-Based Case-Control Study. Medicine. 2015. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000002143. PMID: 26632742.
BibTeX
@article{lin2015-26632742,
author = {Lin, F. C. and Chuang, Y. S. and Hsieh, H. M. and Lee, T. C. and Chiu, K. F. and Liu, C. K. and Wu, M. T.},
title = {{Early Statin Use and the Progression of Alzheimer Disease: A Total Population-Based Case-Control Study}},
journal = {Medicine},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000002143},
pmid = {26632742},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000002143}
}
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