Statins in stroke prevention and carotid atherosclerosis: systematic review and up-to-date meta-analysis.

Previously published meta-analyses exploring the effect of statins on stroke incidence included 20,000 patients and found a 2% to 30% risk reduction. It is not clear whether this is attributable to low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction. Statin trials have now included >90,000 patients. We have determined the effect of statins and LDL-C reduction on stroke prevention.