HealthDay News — According to the final recommendation statement by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, statins should be initiated in certain adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but has one or more cardiovascular risk factors.
Researchers for the USPSTF reviewed the literature to assess the benefits and harms of statins for prevention of CVD.
Data were included from 19 trials with 71,344 participants which compared statins with placebo or no statins.
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The USPSTF recommends that adults aged 40 to 75 years without CVD history who have one or more CVD risk factors — dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking — and a calculated 10-year CVD risk of 10% or more, should initiate low- to moderate-dose statins (B recommendation).
Adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD with one or more CVD risk factors who have a calculated 10-year CVD risk of 7.5 to 10% should be selectively offered low- to moderate-dose statins (C recommendation). For adults aged 76 years and older, the current evidence is insufficient to weigh the balance of benefits and harms of initiating statin use (I statement).
“People with no signs, symptoms or history of cardiovascular disease can still be at risk for having a heart attack or stroke,” Task Force chair Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, said in a statement. “Fortunately statins can be a very effective way to help some people between 40 and 75 years old to reduce this risk.”
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the medical technology industry.
Reference
“Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.” JAMA. 2016. 316(19):1997-2007. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15450.
Chou R, Dana T, Blazina I, Daeges M, Jeanne TL. “Statins for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.” JAMA. 2016. 316(19):2008-2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.15629.
