My Mother-in-law, 78 Years Old, Has Been Operated Heart Surgery

Posted on Sun, 2 Dec 2018

Question: My mother-in-law, 78 years old, has been operated heart surgery 17 years ago and taking medicine to lower Cholesterol for a long time. It's obviously noticed during the last 3 years that she is suffering loss of near memory. She remembers old events but not recent or daily ones. For example, saving stuff in drawers and not remember or repeat asking questions for things although she got answers freshly.
My question is there any relation between this case and taking Cholesterol lowering medicine? according to my knowledge, Cholesterol is essential for brain functions.
your feedback on this regard is highly appreciated.
Thank you,

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
I think they are not related...

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

No, cholesterol-lowering drugs are not the cause of memory impairment.
There have been studies in the past which prove that the lipid-lowering drugs don't cause memory loss.

There could be other factors responsible for the memory changes:
1. Age-related change which is described as senile dementia.
2. The current heart condition especially if she has less than optimal ejection fraction.
3. Nutritional and metabolic alterations
4. Small vessel narrowing in the brain

I will suggest consulting a neurologist who will run tests to evaluate for aforementioned conditions and arrive at the diagnosis.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad