Dr Jeremy Chataway (credit: Multiple Sclerosis Society)
A high dose of the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin significantly reduces brain shrinkage in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), found researchers supported by the Biomedical Research Centre at UCL and UCLH, with colleagues from Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Brighton and Sussex Medical School. This research is an exciting breakthrough, as up until now successful clinical trials have mainly focused on treatments for the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS). There are approximately 100,000 people in the UK with MS. At about 10-15 years into the disease, at least half will become secondary progressive, characterized by greater disability and gradual worsening of the condition. There are very few treatments that stop this worsening. The drug simvastatin is usually used to lower cholesterol levels after heart attack and stroke. However there are downstream effects from the enzyme it blocks, which could theoretically improve blood vessel function or the entry of white blood cells into the central nervous system.
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