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 .
C-reactive protein lowering with rosuvastatin in the METEOR study.
OBJECTIVES In addition to its LDL-C-lowering effects , statin treatment reduces the level of C-reactive protein ( CRP ) . Long-term data on this effect in low-risk population s are limited . Furthermore , whether the CRP reduction is a consequence of LDL-C lowering or occurs independently remains unclear . We studied these aspects in the Measuring Effects on intima media Thickness : an Evaluation Of Rosuvastatin ( METEOR ) study , a r and omized placebo-controlled trial amongst 984 low-risk subjects . METHODS METEOR is a r and omized placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the effect of 40 mg of rosuvastatin on 2-year change in carotid intima media thickness ( CIMT ) amongst 984 low-risk patients ( 10-year Framingham risk < 10 % ) with modest CIMT ( CIMT > or = 1.2 and < 3.5 mm ) and elevated LDL-C.  CRP levels were measured at baseline and after 2 years of treatment . RESULTS Median baseline CRP was 1.4 mg L(-1 ) . Rosuvastatin lowered CRP significantly compared with placebo : -36 % in the rosuvastatin group versus no change in the placebo group . There was no relation between change in CRP and change in LDL-C ( Spearman correlation : 0.08 ; SE : 0.04 ) . Stratified analyses showed that the CRP-lowering effect was present amongst all strata of baseline characteristics , including baseline lipids and CRP levels . However , the magnitude of CRP reduction was larger amongst women and participants older than 60 years . CONCLUSIONS Rosuvastatin ( 40 mg ) lowers CRP independently from its effects on LDL-C in low-risk subjects with normal baseline CRP levels and modest CIMT
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 .