Statins may treat blood vessel disorder that can lead to fatal strokes

January 27, 2009

Cholesterol drugs may offer first inexpensive, easy therapy for CCM

SALT LAKE CITY - In a finding that could save thousands of lives a year, University of Utah School of Medicine researchers have shown that a blood vessel disorder leading to unpredictable, sometimes fatal, hemorrhagic strokes, seizures, paralysis or other problems is treatable with the same statin drugs that millions of people take to control high cholesterol.

If the results of a study in mice are confirmed in a pilot trial with people, statins could provide a safe, inexpensive treatment for cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), a disorder with no known drug therapy, according to U of U cardiologist Dean Y. Li, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Molecular Medicine Program and corresponding author of a study published Jan. 18 in Nature Medicine online.

"Brain surgery or radiation treatment has been the only option for CCM patients. But because of the risks in those operations, neurosurgeons are reluctant to perform them unless the patient is in immediate danger," Li said. "Our study proposes a potential strategy for a simple drug therapy that could cost only a few dollars a month at a pharmacy. However, our animal studies must first be evaluated in a pilot clinical trial being initiated."

Kevin J. Whitehead, M.D., also a cardiologist, assistant professor of internal medicine, and first author of the study, now is recruiting 50 to 100 people diagnosed with CCM to join a pilot trial of statins.

CCM is a disorder in which blood vessels in the brain become dilated and weakened, and leak blood, causing strokes, headaches, seizures or other problems. Diagnosing CCM can be problematic. Some people are diagnosed after experiencing symptoms and undergoing an MRI; others find out they have CCM during an MRI for an unrelated problem. An estimated 25 percent of people with CCM experience no symptoms and never know they have it. In worst-case scenarios, "people don't know they have CCMs until they suffer from an acute brain attack," Li said.

According to Connie Lee of the Angioma Alliance, "Cavernous angioma or cerebral cavernous malformation is a common but little known illness that can strike with devastating consequences for individuals in any stage of life. The disease has affected the strongest among us, including prominent athletes such as the Olympic superstar, Florence Griffith Joyner, and the Tour De France champion, Alberto Contador. In its hereditary form, it is especially prevalent in members of the original Hispanic families that settled the American Southwest."

Although the precise number of people with CCM is not known, it's estimated up to 0.5 percent of the U.S. population or about 1.5 million people may have some form of CCM, according to Whitehead. "Statin therapy, particularly, could benefit people who are genetically predisposed to CCM," he said. "Of vital importance is the impact this research might have on the large number of our Hispanic population in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain West who carry a gene mutation, passed from common ancestors, that predisposes them to CCM."

Whitehead and Li suspect statins, such as Zocor, Lipitor, and similar drugs, treat CCM by stabilizing blood vessels so they don't leak.

CCM can be inherited genetically or occur sporadically. Three known genes have been associated with genetic-related CCM, but the role of those genes, Ccm1, Ccm2, and Ccm3, has been unclear. Whitehead and Li demonstrated that without Ccm2, the endothelium, a thin, inner lining of cells that forms a blood vessel's tubular passage for blood flow, does not form properly. When that happens, blood vessels can become weak and dilated, allowing them to leak.

In mice with two distinct mutations of Ccm2, meaning the gene's function was knocked out, the researchers observed increased activity in Rho, an enzyme that regulates endothelium formation. Li and Whitehead theorized that increased Rho activity in endothelial cells might lead to the blood vessel defects seen in CCM patients. They tested their hypothesis by administering simvastatin, which is known to inhibit Rho activity, to mouse models with the Ccm2 mutations and saw that the drugs strengthened the damaged blood vessels in the mice."

Eugene Golanov, M.D., Ph.D., a program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, said Li's and Whitehead's study is an important work. "By attacking this disease from many angles - including genetic, biochemical and pharmacological approaches - Dr. Li's team has shed new light on the mechanism of the disease and a potential drug therapy, " Golanov said. "Their success illustrates the importance of encouraging teams of scientists and physicians across institutions and disciplines to target familial stroke diseases such as cerebral cavernous malformations."

University of Utah Health Sciences

The Truth About Statins: Risks and Alternatives to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
by Barbara H Roberts (Author)

From an award-winning cardiologist comes the most up-to-date, definitive reference book about statins—cholesterol-lowering drugs—providing a thorough examination of the uses and safety claims of this high-profile class of drugs.Controversy over drugs such as Lipitor and their widespread use has made its way into the mainstream, with Time magazine and ABC News devoting coverage to the efficacy of statins. Now, the Director of the Women’s Cardiac Center in Providence, Rhode Island uses case studies and anecdotes to discuss the uses, misuses, dangers, and benefits of statins, enabling you to make informed decisions on how and when to use them. Including information on when statins help and when they don’t, common side effects, gender differences and drug use, as well as tips and...

The Statin Damage Crisis
by Duane Graveline (Author), Malcolm Kendrick (Introduction)

The purpose in the choice of the title The Statin Damage Crisis is to draw attention to the thousands of statin damaged people who have written to Dr Graveline about their disabling neuropathies, myopathies and a variety of neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS and Parkinsonism associated with statin use. Although much of the book's content will be familiar to readers of Statin Drugs Side Effects, ( this was originally planned as a new edition ) the Statin Damage Crisis adds much new material that Dr Graveline has learned of in the past two years. Dr Graveline states: "Early on my NASA doctors told me my amnesia response to statins was nothing but a coincidence but I persevered to write my first book, Lipitor, Thief of Memory." "Then I learned of statin damage to nerves and...

How Statin Drugs Really Lower Cholesterol: And Kill You One Cell at a Time
by James B. and Hannah Yoseph (Author)

The Yosephs have written the most stunning exposé. In simple language they reveal the science, the corruption and the enormous conspiracy it took to bring statins to market. As fast paced as a Mickey Spillane novel they report the research, the fraud and the facts like a detective in hot pursuit of a Nazi war criminal. Once picked up it cannot be put down until the reading is done. It is riveting. They have accomplished the impossible: they have made both complex science and medical history fascinating to read. What could not be done in an exposé they accomplished with almost unbelievable ease. It will change your paradigms about medicine forever. Read it!

What You Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives: A Consumer's Guide to Safely Using Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Crestor, Mevacor, or
by Jay S. Cohen (Author)

Over 100 million Americans suffer from elevated cholesterol and C-reactive proteins markers linked to heart attack and other cardiovascular disorders. To combat these problems, modern science has created statins. While over 20 million people take these medications, up to 42 percent experience side effects, and up to 70 percent eventually stop treatment. Here, for the first time, is a guide that offers easy-to-follow solutions to the statin dilemma. What You Must Know About Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives begins by explaining elevated cholesterol and C-reactive proteins. It then examines how statins alleviate these problems, discusses side effects, and offers information on both safe usage and effective alternative treatments.

If you have elevated cholesterol and...

The Dark Side of Statins

Try to imagine a drug possessing the ability to cause DNA mutations using the same mechanisms that have evolved for natural aging. When confronted with a patient experiencing weakness and unsteadiness, muscle aches and pains, memory loss and depression, the quite natural response from most doctors is, "You have to expect this kind of thing now; you are over 50". Most doctors do not have a clue as to the truth. It is not natural aging that has depleted you so. This is premature aging - aging in months according to many statin victims - and this entire complex of symptoms from a drug so safe that many doctors feel it should be put in the drinking water. The class of drugs is called statins, simple reductase inhibitors capable not only of lowering cholesterol but also CoQ10 and dolichols as...

Statin Drugs Side Effects and the Misguided War on Cholesterol
by Duane Graveline (Author)

If you are on a statin drug or are thinking of going on a statin, this fully referenced book, Statin Drug Side Effects, is a "must read" for you. The unacceptable legacy of statin drug use at today's high doses is a trail of chronic aches and pains, numbness, weakness, confusion, fatigue, shortness of breath and even heart failure in hordes of unsuspecting victims. Only by knowing this information, and in consultation with your healthcare professional, can you make an informed decision about your health care. If you are a user of Vytorin, Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, Mevacor, Pravachol or Lescol you must read this book. Most of the statin side effects I discuss are unknown to your busy doctor. Although knowledgeable about muscle and liver problems, few have heard of statin amnesia and...

Natural Alternatives to Lipitor, Zocor & Other Statin Drugs: What to Use And Do to Help Lower Your Bad Cholesterol (Square One Health Guides)
by Jay S. Cohen (Author)

Written by health professionals who are well recognized in their respective fields, these concise, easy-to-read books focus on a wide range of important health concerns. From migraine headaches to high cholesterol, each title looks at a specific problem; each provides a clear explanation of the disorder, its causes, and its symptoms; and each offers natural solutions that can either greatly reduce or completely eliminate the problem. Some titles also focus on natural alternatives to drugs with serious side effects alternatives that in many cases can be used in conjunction with prescription medications. This growing series of titles can be counted on to provide safe and sensible solutions to all-too-common health problems.

The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It
by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick (Author)

Statins are the so-called "wonder drugs" widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels that claim to offer unparalleled protection against heart disease. Many experts claim that they are completely safe and that they are also capable of preventing a whole series of other conditions. This groundbreaking study exposes the truth behind the hype surrounding statins and reveals a number of crucial facts, including that high cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease; that high-fat dietssaturated or otherwisedo not affect blood cholesterol levels; and that for most men and all women the benefits offered by statins are negligible at best. Other data is also provided that shows that statins have many more side affects than is often acknowledged. This hard-hitting survey also points a...

The Statin Damage Crisis
by Duane Graveline, MD MPH

The cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins are of proven benefit for some groups of people for the prevention of heart attacks and stroke, but statins also have a dark side.

Tens of thousands of people have been victims of a huge array of statin drugs side effects, ranging from permanent cognitive dysfunction and severe personality change to disabilities from permanent peripheral neuropathy, permanent myopathy and chronic muscular degeneration.

It has recently been reported that muscle pain cases frequently become permanent and many neurologists now regard statin neuropathy as predictably resistant to traditional treatment.

When statins were first marketed there was seemingly no awareness of possible mitochondrial DNA effect or the importance of...

Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive
by Uffe Ravnskov (Author)

The cholesterol campaign is the greatest medical scandal in modern time. If you have read the author's previous books ´The Cholesteol Myths´ (out of print) or 'Fat and Cholesterol are GOOD for You', you should know that for certain. For instance, according to more than 25 scientific studies old people with high cholesterol live the longest. Another shocking fact is that the authors of a recent American study of more than 130,000 patients with acute myocardial infarction found that on average, their cholesterol was lower than normally. Their finding has already been confirmed by others. What they also found was that three years later, mortality was twice as high among those whose cholesterol was the lowest. Their conclusion? We must lower cholesterol even more! But there is much, much...