Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were reduced in all trials but there was evidence of heterogeneity of effects .
There was no evidence of any serious harm caused by statin prescription .
Evidence available to date showed that primary prevention with statins is likely to be cost-effective and may improve patient quality of life .
Recent findings from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists study using individual patient data meta- analysis indicate that these benefits are similar in people at lower ( < 1 % per year ) risk of a major cardiovascular event .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Reductions in all-cause mortality , major vascular events and revascularisations were found with no excess of adverse events among people without evidence of CVD treated with statins
BACKGROUND Reducing high blood cholesterol , a risk factor for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) events in people with and without a past history of CVD is an important goal of pharmacotherapy .
Statins are the first-choice agents .
Previous review s of the effects of statins have highlighted their benefits in people with CVD .
The case for primary prevention was uncertain when the last version of this review was published ( 2011 ) and in light of new data an up date of this review is required .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects , both harms and benefits , of statins in people with no history of CVD .
Effects of pravastatin on left ventricular mass in patients with hyperlipidemia and essential hypertension.
Left ventricular ( LV ) mass is a powerful predictor for future cardiovascular events . Epidemiologic studies have shown that hyperlipidemia is associated with higher LV mass . The effects of statin therapy for hyperlipidemia on LV mass have not been studied . To determine the effects of statin therapy on LV mass , we prospect ively studied 3 groups of age and body surface area-matched patients : group 1 ( n = 20 ) , patients with systemic hypertension and hyperlipidemia treated with pravastatin plus anti-hypertensive drugs ; group 2 ( n = 20 ) , patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia treated with hypertensive agents and diet control alone ; and group 3 ( n = 20 ) , hypertensive patients with normolipidemia treated with antihypertensive agents .  A group of controls without hypertension or hyperlipidemia  was used for comparison . Echocardiograms were recorded at baseline and after 6-month therapy . All hypertensive groups showed significant decreases in LV mass index after treatment . Group 1 had the greatest decrease in LV mass and it was significantly higher than in groups 2 and 3 . Multivariate analysis revealed that regression of LV mass was significantly correlated only with the use of statins and sex ( p = 0.005 and 0.01 , respectively , R(2 ) = 0.47 ) . Linear regression analysis in group 1 showed a significant correlation between changes in arterial compliance and LV mass regression ( r = 0.57 , p = 0.01 ) . Thus , the addition of a statin may have an additional effect on reducing LV mass , independent of lipid-lowering effects
Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were reduced in all trials but there was evidence of heterogeneity of effects .
There was no evidence of any serious harm caused by statin prescription .
Evidence available to date showed that primary prevention with statins is likely to be cost-effective and may improve patient quality of life .
Recent findings from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists study using individual patient data meta- analysis indicate that these benefits are similar in people at lower ( < 1 % per year ) risk of a major cardiovascular event .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Reductions in all-cause mortality , major vascular events and revascularisations were found with no excess of adverse events among people without evidence of CVD treated with statins
BACKGROUND Reducing high blood cholesterol , a risk factor for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) events in people with and without a past history of CVD is an important goal of pharmacotherapy .
Statins are the first-choice agents .
Previous review s of the effects of statins have highlighted their benefits in people with CVD .
The case for primary prevention was uncertain when the last version of this review was published ( 2011 ) and in light of new data an up date of this review is required .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects , both harms and benefits , of statins in people with no history of CVD .