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 .
Serum cholesterol, haemorrhagic stroke, ischaemic stroke, and myocardial infarction: Korean national health system prospective cohort study
Abstract Objective To investigate risk factors , such as heavy alcohol consumption , that might explain any increased risk of  haemorrhagic stroke associated with low blood cholesterol . Design Prospect i ve cohort study . Setting Korea . Participants 787 442 civil servants ( 661 700 men , 125 742 women ) aged 30 - 64 . Main outcome measures Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed at biennial health check . Data on morbidity and mortality were ascertained from 1990 to 2001 using hospital admissions and mortality surveillance systems . Results 6328 cases of ischaemic stroke ( 6021 men , 307 women ) , 3947 cases of haemorrhagic stroke ( 3748 men , 199 women ) , 3170 cases of undefined stroke ( 2902 men , 268 women ) , and 4417 cases of myocardial infa rct ion ( 4305 men , 112 women ) occurred . Ischaemic stroke and myocardial infa rct ion were strongly and positively associated with blood cholesterol ( hazard ratio per 1 mmol/l cholesterol 1.20 ( 95 % confidence 1.16 to 1.24 ) and 1.48 ( 1.43 to 1.53 ) , respectively ) . Haemorrhagic stroke showed an inverse association in fully adjusted models ( 0.91 , 0.87 to 0.95 ) . This inverse association was confined to participants with hypertension . When stratified by concentration of γ glutamyl transferase ( GGT ) , an indicator of alcohol consumption , the association was not seen in participants with low concentrations of GGT , and it was independent of hypertension in those with high concentrations of GGT ( > 80 U/l ) . Conclusion High alcohol consumption may underlie the association between low blood cholesterol and increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke
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 .