0
0
A recent study published in the June 5, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that several commonly prescribed drugs may be associated with a decreased risk of experiencing a bleeding stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Although the study does not confirm a causal relationship, it highlights a significant association that could pave the way for new preventive strategies.
“We urgently need new ways to prevent this type of stroke, which occurs at younger ages and with a higher death rate than other types of stroke,” stated study author Jos Peter Kanning, MSc, from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. “Our current surgical treatments for brain aneurysms carry risks of permanent disability and death that often outweigh the potential benefits, so preventing rupture with a non-invasive drug would be very beneficial.”
In the study, researchers analyzed data from 4,879 individuals who had suffered from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages (a type of bleeding stroke caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm) and compared them with 43,911 control subjects matched by age and sex. They then examined electronic health records to determine the prescription drugs taken by these individuals.
The findings revealed that four drugs were linked to a lower risk of ruptured brain aneurysms: the high blood pressure medication lisinopril, the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin, the diabetes medication metformin, and tamsulosin, which is prescribed for enlarged prostate. After adjusting for other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, alcohol use, and the presence of other health conditions, the study found the following:
- People taking lisinopril were 37% less likely to have a ruptured brain aneurysm.
- People taking simvastatin were 22% less likely to have a stroke.
- People taking metformin were 42% less likely to have a stroke.
- People taking tamsulosin were 45% less likely to have a stroke.
Conversely, the study identified an increased risk of ruptured brain aneurysms associated with four other drugs: the blood thinner warfarin, the antidepressant venlafaxine, the antipsychotic and antiemetic drug prochlorperazine, and the painkiller co-codamol.
“Future research is needed to investigate these associations and determine whether these drugs are effective in reducing the risk of hemorrhagic stroke,” Kanning emphasized. “This work could also help us identify additional risk factors for subarachnoid hemorrhage, potentially leading to new therapies to manage aneurysms.”
The researchers acknowledged a limitation in their study: the reliance on prescription data, which may not accurately reflect whether individuals were taking their medications as prescribed.
The study was supported by the European Research Council, highlighting the importance of continued research in this area to potentially uncover new, non-invasive ways to prevent this severe and often fatal type of stroke.
