Statins reduce the recurrence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: For patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), recurrence can lead to worsening conditions and increased mortality. Statins have neuroprotective benefits and might help prevent ICH recurrence. However, the effectiveness of statins remains controversial. Various studies have debated this issue. Therefore, this meta-analysis, incorporating recent studies, aims to clarify whether statins can reduce ICH recurrence.

Methods: Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between statin use and the recurrence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Data sources: Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library.

Eligibility criteria: Original observational cohort studies.

Participants: Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

Interventions: Statin use.

Appraisal and synthesis methods: Forest plots to show pooled results and I-squared tests to evaluate heterogeneity.

Results: Of the 21 studies selected, 7 met the eligibility criteria. These 7 studies included a total of 40,059 patients (6637 with statins; 33,422 without statins). The mean age ranged from 58.9 to 72.4 years. The percentage of female participants ranged from 36.19 % to 47.69 %. For recurrence at different stages, the pooled OR for all time periods was 0.82 (95 % CI: 0.68-0.99), and the pooled OR for 3 years was 0.74 (95 % CI: 0.58-0.95). For recurrence in different regions, the pooled OR for Asian patients was 0.75 (95 % CI: 0.60-0.93).

Conclusion: The use of statins reduced the recurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In the different time subgroups, the effect was significant for all patients and in the 3-year subgroup. In the different region subgroups, the effect was significant in the Asian subgroup.