Do statins cause Parkinson's?

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http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/...ource=r_health

EXPERTS sought to reassure patients after scientists announced they

were planning an in-depth study on the link between statins and

Parkinson's disease. The cholesterol-lowering drugs are taken by an

estimated three million Britons and are renowned for preventing

heart

attacks and strokes. But now scientists are planning a detailed

study

after research showed a link to Parkinson's disease, which affects

about 120,000 people in the UK. Charities urged people to continue

taking their statins, saying the drugs saved lives. According to a

report in the magazine Chemistry & Industry, researchers in the

United

States are planning a largescale clinical trial on the link. It

comes

after experts, led by Xuemei Huang from the University of North

Carolina, said they had found the strongest link yet between

low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and Parkinson's.

High

levels of LDL cholesterol are linked to heart disease. Statins are

known to reduce these LDL levels. The study of 124 patients revealed

that those with low levels of LDL cholesterol were about three times

as

likely to develop Parkinson's disease as those with higher levels.

Study leader Dr Xuemei Huang told the magazine she was worried by

the

results. " Yes I am very concerned, which is why I am planning a

16,000-patient prospective study to examine the possible role of

statins, " she said.She said there could be big surges in the number

of

Parkinson's cases in the next five years if a link is

confirmed.British

experts sought to calm fears, saying there was little or no evidence

of

a link.Dr David Dexter, senior lecturer in neuropharmacology at

Imperial College, London, said: " With the evidence we have at the

moment, I would say there is not much cause for concern that statin

use

may cause Parkinson's disease. " The study by Huang and colleagues

indicating an association between lower LDL levels and Parkinson's

disease goes against current scientific beliefs. "