Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40687729›Full record

ReviewCerebral circulation - cognition and behavior2025

Statin treatment for cerebral small vessel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

David Fresnais, Brynjar Fure

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cerebral circulation - cognition and behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

David FresnaisSchool of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Brynjar FureSchool of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a chronic, progressive disorder that affects small blood vessels in the brain's white matter. This white matter damage appears on brain imaging as white matter hyperintensities (WMH). Although CSVD is often asymptomatic, it causes one fifth of strokes and nearly half of all vascular dementia cases, highlighting its clinical importance. Statins, widely used to lower lipid levels, are effective for reducing cardiovascular mortality in high-risk groups and are recommended for patients with myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials aimed to evaluate the impact of statin therapy on CSVD. Method: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Epistemonikos resulting in the full-text review of 86 articles, of which two were used for the meta-analysis. Results: A non-significant trend towards lower WMH volume in milliliters was observed in the statin group compared to controls, mean difference (MD) = -4.44 (95 % CI -10.19-1.31). Conclusion: There is limited evidence available for the use of stain-treatment for CSVD, and further research is needed as well as studies on the clinical and person-centered benefits of statins on cognition and functional level in persons with CSVD.

Indexed as

Cerebral small vessel diseaseCognitive impairmentDementiaMeta-analysisStatins

Identifiers

PMID40687729
PMCPMC12272895

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.