Double Duty Drug: Statins May Fight MS

Mar 19, 2014 8:38am

Cholesterol-busting statins show promise for multiple sclerosis. (Image credit: Eric Audras/Getty Images)

By Neha Sharma, D.O.

Cholesterol-busting statins may have an unexpected benefit for patients with multiple sclerosis, a new study found.

Researchers in the U.K. studied 140 patients diagnosed with the most severe form of the disease, known as secondary progressive MS.They found that high doses of statins about double the average amount that patients take to keep their cholesterol levels in check reduced the rate of brain shrinkage in these patients.

I see hundreds of patients with secondary progressive MS in my clinic, said Dr. Jeremy Chataway, a neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London and lead author of the study, published Tuesday in The Lancet.

These patients are physically disabled and have no treatment,Chataway added, calling the studyan exciting first step.

Learn more aboutmultiple sclerosis.

Statin treatment led to a 43 percent reduction in the rate of brain shrinkage in the patients in the study, according to Chataway. The hope is that putting the brakes on this shrinkage will slow the progression toward physical disability.

Neurology experts not involved with the research said the new findings are promising but preliminary.

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Double Duty Drug: Statins May Fight MS