Statins will protect the brain in case of a head injury

The use of statins in case of the head injury prevents complications and sometimes even death among middle-aged and elderly people.

Traumatic brain injury is the most common type of injury and accounts for 50% of all types of injuries. TBI results in a mechanical damage to the skull or its intracranial formations, such as vessels, nerves, meninges and brain. Depending on the severity and type of injury, disorders of the central regulation of functions of vital body systems can develop. TBI can be accompanied by a number of serious consequences: impaired cerebral circulation, circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, cerebral edema and swelling. In case of concussions, doctors prescribe conservative treatment, while open injuries require surgical intervention.

When working on the issue of complications caused by TBI, scientists found that the use of statins can help to avoid the negative consequences of such injuries. Statins are referred to hormones that inhibit the synthesis and secretion of any other hormones. The main indication for their use is the ability of the drug to lower cholesterol levels. In addition, the scientists found that the patients taking these medication less frequently develop angina, preinfarction angina, strokes, reduce the likelihood of blood clots. In recent studies, statins have also been proved to have a positive effect in traumatic brain injuries. Consequently, the mortality rate among people with severe injuries who took these medications decreased by 76%. The recovery period in these patients was much more successful and faster.

Various types of injuries (direct effects, when accelerated) can result in complications, such as inflammatory and immune processes. The pleiotropic effect of statins, which influence the inflammatory processes, thrombosis and endothelial function of the body, it became possible to avoid the occurrence of secondary injuries (complications), despite the main function of statins - to lower cholesterol levels. The experiments on animals indicated a positive effect of these drugs even after some time after getting injured. This discovery can save hundreds of lives, because until now there were no drugs or any other ways to eliminate complications after severe injuries. The research results were collected from 69 hospitals and centers that confirmed the effect of statins in cases of the TBI. 22% out of 523 patients aged 65 years and older with TBI took various types of statins. The cases of death before the discharge of the patient accounted for 9.1% of patients taking statin and 15, 4% among the other participants of the experiment. For three months of observations, scientists noted that the improvement in the health condition and recovery process was 23% more effective in patients taking statins. It should be noted that all improvements were noted in patients without signs of cardiovascular diseases.

Thus, statins will help many patients with traumatic brain injuries of varying severity to avoid serious complications, as well as to undergo rehabilitation faster and easier.

Here you can also read other articles on this topic:

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• Otoneurological examination
• Hearing after TBI

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