Statins and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between statins and the incidence and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

METHODS

Several electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO) and Chinese databases (CBM, Wanfang, and VIP) were searched for original articles on April 1(st), 2012. Case-control and cohort studies that provide information on the association between statins and ALS were considered eligible for inclusion. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the association of statins and the incidence and progression of ALS.

RESULTS

Two case-control studies and one cohort study that relate the risk of ALS to statins satisfied the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The pooled rate ratio of statin use was 0.89 [95% CI, 0.55 to 1.42] for ALS patients versus non-ALS patients. Three cohort studies on the association between statins and the progression of ALS were identified; these suggested that no strong evidence for the statin-ALS progression relationship exists. No cohort studies favor the use of statins on ALS patients.

CONCLUSIONS

No definite association between statin use and ALS incidence and progression has been found. Existing results are currently inconclusive to make scientifically supported conclusions. Further prospective cohort studies are still needed.