Older adults had a 16% lower risk for developing parkinsonism after taking statins for 6 years compared with those not on statins, a report published in Neurology showed.

Shahram Oveisgharan, MD, assistant professor of neurological sciences at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and colleagues assessed 2,841 people (average age, 76 years) who did not have parkinsonism, 936 of whom were taking statins. Researchers monitored participants annually for an average of 6 years to check statin usage and signs of parkinsonism.

At the conclusion of the study, 1,432 people (50%) had developed signs of parkinsonism. Of the 936 who were taking statins, 418 people (45%) had developed parkinsonism compared with 1,014 of 1,905 (53%) who were not taking statins.

“Our results suggest people using statins may have a lower risk of parkinsonism, and that may be partly caused by the protective effect statins may have on arteries in the brain,” Oveisgharan said in a press release from the American Academy of Neurology. “Our results are exciting, because movement problems in older adults that come under the umbrella of parkinsonism are common, often debilitating and generally untreatable.”

Further, about 79% of participants on statins were taking moderate or high intensity doses. Those taking higher intensity doses had a 7% lower risk for developing parkinsonism vs. those taking low intensity doses.

Researchers also noted that 1,044 participants died during the study, and post-mortem examination of their brains revealed that those taking statins had 37% reduced odds of atherosclerosis compared with those who had not been taking statins.

“More research is needed, but statins could be a therapeutic option in the future to help reduce the effects of parkinsonism in the general population of older adults, not just people with high cholesterol or who are at risk for stroke,” Oveisgharan said. “At a minimum, our study suggests brain scans or vascular testing may be beneficial for older adults who show signs of parkinsonism but don’t have classic signs of Parkinson’s disease or do not respond to Parkinson’s disease medications.”