Study Supports Benefit of Statin Use for Older Adults

A study published in the European Heart Journal suggests statin therapy carries benefits for older adults, reports the Harvard Health Blog . Since most studies showing statins lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk have focused on young subjects, current European and American guidelines lack clear recommendations for statin use in older adults who do not have a history of pre-existing CVD. The new study tracked more than 120,000 French men and women 75 to 79 years old who had been taking statins for at least two years, with no previous history of CVD. At the conclusion, about 10 percent of participants who had discontinued statins required hospitalization for a CVD event compared to about 7.5 percent of those who had continued statin treatment. The most common reason for discontinuation was development of advanced cancer or other major illness.