The SPARCL study: extending the indications of statin therapy for stroke?
Doreen DeFaria Yeh and David D Waters*
Correspondence *Division of Cardiology, San Francisco General Hospital, Room 5G1, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94965, USA
Email dwaters@medsfgh.ucsf.edu
This article has no abstract so we have provided the first paragraph of the full text.
Cerebrovascular events are responsible for much disability, and their incidence in Western countries is at least as high as that of coronary events.1 A meta-analysis of statin trials indicated that statins reduce the incidence of stroke; however, most of the patients enrolled in these trials had pre-existing CHD.2 The SPARCL trial is unique because eligible patients had experienced a stroke or TIA, but had no evidence of CHD. Patients randomized to high-dose atorvastatin had significantly lower rates of stroke, stroke plus TIA, and coronary events than placebo-treated patients. This evidence is strong enough to support the recommendation that patients with stroke or TIA receive atorvastatin therapy, unless a specific contraindication is present. This treatment has the potential to improve what is currently a bleak long-term prognosis for patients with stroke or TIA.
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