Statins do not cause intracerebral hemorrhage

In this issue of Neurology ®, Nardi et al.1 report their observations on association of lipid profiles with outcomes in 1,847 patients undergoing thrombolysis for acute stroke. Higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or a lower level of triglycerides were associated with better outcomes at 3 months. Importantly, there was no independent association of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or triglycerides with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Patients with sICH were older, had higher blood pressures, a higher serum creatinine, and were more likely to have cardioembolic stroke.