Atorvastatin Use for Alzheimer's Treatment

The benefits of Atorvastatin use for Alzheimer's treatment have been noted in two studies: a pilot clinical study reported in 2004 at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and another study detailed in Archives of Neurology, May 2005.

Both studies used accepted scientific scales and control methods to test whether using Atorvastatin to lower cholesterol levels would affect, improve, or stabilize the condition of mild to moderate Alzheimer's patients.

Atorvastatin is a drug that lowers cholesterol, high levels of which have been proven to be an Alzheimer risk factor. Although research is as yet inconsistent, studies have shown that elevated cholesterol could increase Alzheimer risk as much as three times.

Cholinesterase Inhibitor Plus Atorvastatin Use for Alzheimer's Treatment

The 2004 study added Atorvastatin use for Alzheimer's treatment to the existing treatments the subjects were getting using cholinesterase inhibitors. So far, the latter is the only therapy approved by the FDA for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

A cholinesterase inhibitor is a drug that interferes with the breakdown of a neurotransmitter (called acetylcholine), which is associated mental decline since it has been found to decrease in people with Alzheimer's.

The clinical study involved 46 subjects (age 78 on average, a third female), 25 of whom were placed on Atorvastatin for one year (21 were given placebos).

The subjects were regularly assessed on mental function and cognition. They were also evaluated for depression, the symptoms of which typically grow worse as Alzheimer's progresses.

After one year, Atorvastatin use for Alzheimer's subjects caused improvement and/or stability in 53% of the Atorvastatin group, compared to only 28% of the placebo group.

Also, all Atorvastatin subjects showed a marked improvement in depression symptoms based on the Geriatric Depression Scale, while the placebo group showed a marked decline.

A side benefit of Atorvastatin use for Alzheimer's treatment is that bad cholesterol decreased by over 50%, driving down total cholesterol levels by 40%.

The clinical study clearly showed that Atorvastatin could yield far greater results than the FDA-approved cure using cholinesterase inhibitors, and that the two drugs work great together.

Pure Atorvastatin Use for Alzheimer's Treatment
The 2005 study sought to answer just how effective Atorvastatin is in Alzheimer's therapy. The study took 98 subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

The number of qualified subjects was 71, then 67 were chosen, out of which 63 completed the study.

After three months, Atorvastatin was shown to have yielded significantly higher scores in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) in terms of cognition as well as in the Clinical Global Impression of Change Scale.

Positive changes were also shown in the scores of the following:

• Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living Inventory
• Geriatric Depression Scale
• Mini-mental State Examination
• Neuro-psychiatric Inventory Scale

Of course, cholesterol levels were also lowered. Also, improvements as measured by several scales continued on a positive trend in the next 6 to 12 months.