75 or Older? Statins Can Still Benefit Your Heart

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association claims that older adults with healthy hearts would likely benefit from taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, according to U.S. News & World Report . Heart disease-free persons 75 and older prescribed a statin saw a 25 percent lower risk of morality from any cause and a 20 percent lower risk of heart-related death. "Based on these data, age is not a reason to not prescribe statins," said Ariela Orkaby at the VA Boston Healthcare System. The researchers analyzed data from more than 300,000 veterans 75 or older who used VA health are services between 2002 and 2012 — none of whom had had a heart attack, stroke, or other heart problem. More than 57,000 began taking statins during that period, and their risk of heart-related death was significantly lower than those not using statins. These benefits persisted for veterans at advanced ages, including those 90 or older, and also were strong among those with dementia. In 2018, guidelines that previously recommended discontinuing statin therapy at age 75 were amended to recategorize statins as a reasonable choice for people older than 75 without a life-limiting disease such as cancer or organ failure. Mount Sinai Hospital's Mary Ann McLaughlin said the new study indicates that this revision was the right course of action.