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 .
Primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases among hypercholesterolemic Japanese with a low dose of pravastatin.
The MEGA Study was Japan 's first primary prevention trial of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) by cholesterol lowering with low-dose pravastatin .  Included were postmenopausal women aged < or = 70 years and men aged 40 - 70 years with mildly elevated total cholesterol ( TC ) level 220 - 270 mg/dL. In all , 8214 out patients were r and omly assigned to receive diet alone or diet plus pravastatin 10 - 20mg/day for an average follow-up of 5.3 years . The primary endpoint was a composite of fatal and nonfatal MI , angina , cardiac and sudden death , and coronary revascularization . TC was reduced by 11.5 % in the diet plus pravastatin group versus 2.1 % in the diet alone group . LDL-C was reduced by 18 % and 3.2 % in the two groups , respectively . TC was reduced to < 220 mg/dL and LDL-C to < 130 mg/dL in patients in the diet plus pravastatin group . There was a significant 33 % reduction of the primary endpoint in the diet plus pravastatin group compared with the diet alone group . Notable findings of the MEGA Study included the observation that despite pravastatin 's modest LDL-C reductions in this low-risk population , a 33 % reduction of CHD events was achieved . Even though 68 % of patients were women , who have been traditionally considered at less risk than men , significant CHD risk reduction was observed across all groups
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 .