Does Age Modify Effectiveness of Statin Therapy in Coronary Artery Disease?
Authors: Mark J. Pletcher
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters15 June 2010Does Age Modify Effectiveness of Statin Therapy in Coronary Artery Disease?Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH and Pamela G. Coxson, PhDMark J. Pletcher, MD, MPHFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; and San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this author and Pamela G. Coxson, PhDFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; and San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA 94110.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-12-201006150-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Hayward and colleagues (1) presented a modeling analysis comparing the total effect and efficiency of a completely risk-based “tailored-treatment” strategy with a traditional National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)–based “treat-to-target” strategy. As noted by the authors, treatment benefit in any given person is a function of his or her baseline risk and the relative risk reduction of therapy. The authors then state that “ … we know of no evidence that any single CAD [coronary artery disease] risk factor or biomarker helps predict the relative effectiveness of starting statin therapy.”But there is some evidence that age modifies ...References1. Hayward RA, Krumholz HM, Zulman DM, Timbie JW, Vijan S. Optimizing statin treatment for primary prevention of coronary artery disease. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:69-77. [PMID: 20083825] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Lewington S, Whitlock G, Clarke R, Sherliker P, Emberson J, Halsey J, et al; Prospective Studies Collaboration. Blood cholesterol and vascular mortality by age, sex, and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of individual data from 61 prospective studies with 55,000 vascular deaths. Lancet. 2007;370:1829-39. [PMID: 18061058] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Baigent C, Keech A, Kearney PM, Blackwell L, Buck G, Pollicino C, et al; Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' (CTT) Collaborators. Efficacy and safety of cholesterol-lowering treatment: prospective meta-analysis of data from 90,056 participants in 14 randomised trials of statins. Lancet. 2005;366:1267-78. [PMID: 16214597] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Pletcher MJ, Lazar L, Bibbins-Domingo K, Moran A, Rodondi N, Coxson P, et al. Comparing impact and cost-effectiveness of primary prevention strategies for lipid-lowering. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:243-54. [PMID: 19221376] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; and San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA 94110.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoComparing Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Primary Prevention Strategies for Lipid-Lowering Mark J. Pletcher , Lawrence Lazar , Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo , Andrew Moran , Nicolas Rodondi , Pamela Coxson , James Lightwood , Lawrence Williams , and Lee Goldman Optimizing Statin Treatment for Primary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease Rodney A. Hayward , Harlan M. Krumholz , Donna M. Zulman , Justin W. Timbie , and Sandeep Vijan Does Age Modify Effectiveness of Statin Therapy in Coronary Artery Disease? Rodney A. Hayward Metrics 15 June 2010Volume 152, Issue 12Page: 825KeywordsCholesterolConflicts of interestElderlyLipoproteinsMedical risk factorsStable coronary artery diseaseStatinsYoung adults ePublished: 15 June 2010 Issue Published: 15 June 2010 CopyrightCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...