The population of northeastern China has a high incidence of ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that intracranial large-artery atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of ischemic stroke, and that the mechanisms are related to inflammation and thrombosis of the affected arteries. A recent study by Lianqiu Min and colleagues from Liaoning Medical University observed the effects of atorvastatin treatment in 89 patients from northeastern China with acute ischemic stroke caused by intracranial large-artery atherosclerosis by measuring changes in the levels of markers of inflammation, thrombogenesis, and hyperlipidemia.
The researchers found that atorvastatin treatment decreased the levels of markers of inflammation, thrombogenesis, and hyperlipidemia, suggesting that atorvastatin reduces inflammation and thrombogenesis independent of its lipid-lowering effects in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-artery atherosclerosis. Most previous studies of patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-artery atherosclerosis focused mainly on measurement of the level of a single marker such as C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, or D-dimer. The study, reported by Lianqiu Min and colleagues in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 23, 2013), measured all three of these values to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin treatment, and expanded the range of atorvastatin available for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
Migraines and other nontraditional factors linked to higher stroke risk in young adults