PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Effect of combined acetylsalicylic acid and statins treatment on intracranial aneurysm rupture.

  • Mikel Terceño,
  • Sebastian Remollo,
  • Yolanda Silva,
  • Saima Bashir,
  • Mariano Werner,
  • Víctor A Vera-Monge,
  • Joaquín Serena,
  • Carlos Castaño

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247153
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 2
p. e0247153

Abstract

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BackgroundAcetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and statins have been identified as potentially reducing the risk of intracranial aneurysms (IA) rupture. We aim to determine the effect of this drugs on the risk of rupture of IA.Patients and methodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study from a prospective database of patients with IA treated in our institution between January 2013 and December 2018. Demographics, previous oral treatments, presence of multiple aneurysms, size of aneurysm, lobulation, location and morphology of the aneurysms were recorded. Patients were dichotomized as ruptured and unruptured IA.ResultsA total of 408 IA were treated, of which 283 (68.6%) were in women. The median age was 53, 194 (47.5%) were ruptured IA. 38 patients (9.3%) were receiving ASA and 84 (20.6%) were receiving statins at the moment of the IA diagnosis. In the multivariable regression analysis, ASA plus statin use and multiple aneurysms were independently associated with unruptured IA (OR 5.01, 95% CI, 1.37-18.33, P = 0.015 and OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.68-4.27, PConclusionsIn our study population ASA plus statins treatment is independently associated with unruptured IA. Larger and prospective studies are required to explore this potential protective effect against IA rupture.