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. 2017 Jun;32(6):913-917.
doi: 10.1002/mds.27006. Epub 2017 Apr 3.

Statins may facilitate Parkinson's disease: Insight gained from a large, national claims database

Guodong Liu  1 , Nicholas W Sterling  2 , Lan Kong  1 , Mechelle M Lewis  2   3 , Richard B Mailman  2   3 , Honglei Chen  4 , Douglas Leslie  1 , Xuemei Huang  2   3
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Statins may facilitate Parkinson's disease: Insight gained from a large, national claims database

Guodong Liu et al. Mov Disord. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Using a large U.S. claims database (MarketScan), we investigated the controversy surrounding the role of statins in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control analysis. First, we identified 2322 incident PD cases having a minimum of 2.5 years of continuous enrollment prior to earliest diagnosis code or prescription of antiparkinson medication. A total of 2322 controls were then matched individually by age, gender, and a follow-up window to explore the relationship of statin use with incident PD.

Results: Statin usage was significantly associated with PD risk, with the strongest associations being for lipophilic (odds ratio = 1.58, P < .0001) versus hydrophilic (odds ratio = 1.19, P = .25) statins, statins plus nonstatins (odds ratio = 1.95, P < .0001), and for the initial period after starting statins (<1 year odds ratio = 1.82, 1-2.5 years odds ratio = 1.75, and ≥2.5 years odds ratio = 1.37; Ptrend < .0001).

Conclusion: The use of statin (especially lipophilics) was associated with higher risk of PD, and the stronger association in initial use suggests a facilitating effect. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; cholesterol; large data; statins.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot of the association between Parkinson’s disease and exposure to statins prior to the earliest disease indication in a case-control analysis. Reference group: non-users of cholesterol lowering drugs. Abbreviations: aOR = Adjusted Odds Ratio; CI = confidence interval
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