Researchers at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) say that long-term use of statins may help prevent the onset of glaucoma. Statins are drugs used to control cholesterol for patients with cardiovascular disease. The research, reported in the June 14 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, showed that long-term use of statins, particularly for 24 months or longer, provided a protective effect against glaucoma.
Researchers at the UAB Department of Ophthalmology Clinical Research Unit, in collaboration with colleagues at Duke University, compared 667 men over the age of 50 with glaucoma against 6,667 male control patients over a five-year span. All were patients at the Birmingham Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (BVAMC). There was a significant trend toward a reduced risk of glaucoma with extended statin use. A protective effect was also noticed with non-statin cholesterol-lowering agents.
“The results of this study suggest that long-term statin users have a reduced risk of developing glaucoma,” says Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology and co-principal investigator of the study. “In addition to the currently effective treatments for glaucoma, this study suggests that effective prevention may also be possible.”
McGwin says statins have also been connected to a potential reduction of risk for age-related macular degeneration as well as Alzheimer’s disease. He has recently published studies demonstrating the protective effect of statins on both of these conditions. He also stresses that further research is necessary, particularly in women and in clinical settings. The current research utilized an administrative database maintained by BVAMC.
Adapted from the following source: University of Alabama at Birmingham