Statins related to memory dysfunction

This paper was published in Current Drug Safety 2012 Feb;7(1):33-4

Study title and authors:
Statin related memory dysfunction in a Nigerian woman: a case report.

Okeahialam BN, Isiguzoro I.
Department of Medicine, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. basokeam@yahoo.com

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22663955

This paper describes the case of a woman who with Simvastatin developed memory deficits which adversely affected activities of her daily living.

(i) The woman was first observed in 2005 at 41 years of age for sensation of weight in the chest.
(ii) She was put on atorvastatin (Lipitor) 10 mg daily.
(iii) Levels of her high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol fell and since low HDL cholesterol increases heart disease risk, the drug was withheld.
(iv) In 2008 she restarted statin treatment, this time she took Simvastatin (Simvor) 10 mg daily.
(v) While on this, she complained of feeling ill and cramped up each morning.
(vi) She stopped taking Simvastatin.
(vii) In time Simvastatin was re-introduced at 20mg daily.
(viii) She started to experience muscle cramps, incoherence in thought and speech as well as memory impairment.
(ix) She reduced the dose to 10 mg daily with some respite in the short term.
(x) With time and still on 10mg nocte of simvastatin she once again started to have rising muscle pains. Lapses in memory were also observed. She was not remembering things and to her embarrassment, kept repeating instructions which she had earlier given. The urge to read vanished and if she forced herself to read, she could not absorb.
(xi) She totally discontinued Simvastatin which led to recovery.

Okeahialam also notes that low levels of cholesterol and low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol may be associated with cognitive dysfunction and concludes: "It is suggested that patients on statins be monitored for side effects especially memory deficits which can adversely effect quality of life... It may also be unwise to reduce the lipid (cholesterol) sub fractions to very low levels".