Use of Lipid-Lowering Drugs After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Hyperlipidemia is common in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Accumulating evidence indicates that patients with ICH are at risk for future hemorrhage recurrence, cardiovascular disease, and ischemic stroke and highlights the importance of secondary prevention of vascular events after ICH. Although the benefits of intensive treatment of hyperlipidemia for reducing ischemic cardiac and vascular events in patients with ischemic stroke are well established, the benefit versus harm in patients with ICH are less clear. Epidemiological studies suggest that hyperlipidemia is protective against ICH and that intensive lowering of lipids is associated with increased risk for ICH. Similarly, although currently available lipid-lowering treatments have been thoroughly studied in patients with ischemic cardiac and vascular disease, only few randomized trials of these therapies included a very small number of patients with history of ICH. Thus, limiting any definitive conclusions regarding the safety and net benefit of these treatments in ICH populations. Currently, there is no consensus regarding the optimal strategy for management of hyperlipidemia after ICH. In this article, we review relevant literature to outline the competing risks and benefits of lipid-lowering treatments in this vulnerable patient population. We suggest a treatment paradigm based on available data but note that data from dedicated randomized trials are needed to build the necessary evidence to guide optimal lipid-lowering strategy in patients with a history of ICH.