The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for adults aged 40 to 75 years who have cardiovascular risk factors, with the strength of recommendation varying with cardiovascular event risk. These recommendations form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published Feb. 22 by the USPSTF.
Roger Chou, M.D., from the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues updated the 2016 review on statins for primary prevention in adults with cardiovascular risk. The researchers found that statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, and composite cardiovascular outcomes (risk ratios, 0.92, 0.78, 0.67, and 0.72, respectively). The estimate for cardiovascular mortality was not statistically significant. The relative benefits were consistent in subgroups, including those with cardiovascular risk factors without marked dyslipidemia. For older persons, data remained sparse and imprecise. Statin therapy was not significantly associated with increased risks for serious adverse events, myalgia, liver-related harms, or diabetes.
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