Statins for Primary Prevention in Older Adults: Uncertainty and the Need for More Evidence
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric MedicineMeyers Primary Care Institute
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2016-11-15Keywords
CardiologyGeriatrics
Dyslipidemia
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
Cardiovascular Diseases
Geriatrics
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Introduction: Given the substantially increasing geriatric population, the need for evidence-based strategies to address the medical and societal consequences of these demographic trends has never been greater. In this context, statins for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) provide substantial potential social value by improving health and survival. However, using statins for primary prevention in older adults presents a clinical dilemma. Even though compelling evidence exists supporting statins for secondary prevention in individuals older than 75 years with clinical ASCVD, the same cannot be said for primary prevention. In this Viewpoint, we describe existing evidence on the benefits of statins for primary prevention in older adults, uncertainties about risks, and the need for a randomized trial before non–evidence-based prescribing patterns become irreversibly incorporated into practice.Source
JAMA. 2016 Nov 15;316(19):1971-1972. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.15212. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1001/jama.2016.15212Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/29009PubMed ID
27838724Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1001/jama.2016.15212