Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older
Authors: Marcus M. Reidenberg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters15 September 2015Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or OlderMarcus M. Reidenberg, MDMarcus M. Reidenberg, MDFrom Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5135-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline recommends that everyone with a 10-year risk score for an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event greater than 7.5% should receive statins. This would include nearly everyone older than 70 years. Odden and colleagues (1) state that this threshold does not separate high- from low-risk patients and add low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels for this purpose. The guideline includes diet, smoking, exercise, and weight as important risk factors. Modest alcohol consumption also decreases risk (2). A Mediterranean diet alone reduced the ASCVD rate by 27% compared with an ordinary (control) ...References1. Odden MC, Pletcher MJ, Coxson PG, Thekkethala D, Guzman D, Heller D, et al. Cost-effectiveness and population impact of statins for primary prevention in adults aged 75 years or older in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:533-41. [PMID: 25894023] doi:10.7326/M14-1430 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Akesson A, Larsson SC, Discacciati A, Wolk A. Low-risk diet and lifestyle habits in the primary prevention of myocardial infarction in men: a population-based prospective cohort study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64:1299-306. [PMID: 25257629] doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.06.1190 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, et al; PREDIMED Study Investigators.. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1279-90. [PMID: 23432189] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1200303 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Leander K, Hallqvist J, Reuterwall C, Ahlbom A, de Faire U. Family history of coronary heart disease, a strong risk factor for myocardial infarction interacting with other cardiovascular risk factors: results from the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program (SHEEP). Epidemiology. 2001;12:215-21. [PMID: 11246583] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Prabhakaran D, Jeemon P. Should your family history of coronary heart disease scare you? Mt Sinai J Med. 2012;79:721-32. [PMID: 23239210] doi:10.1002/msj.21348 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0322. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCost-Effectiveness and Population Impact of Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older in the United States Michelle C. Odden , Mark J. Pletcher , Pamela G. Coxson , Divya Thekkethala , David Guzman , David Heller , Lee Goldman , and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older Jennifer G. Robinson Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older Michelle C. Odden , Lee Goldman , and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older Jennifer G. Robinson Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults Aged 75 Years or Older Michelle C. Odden , Lee Goldman , and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Metrics 15 September 2015Volume 163, Issue 6Page: 481KeywordsAtherosclerotic cardiovascular diseaseConflicts of interestDietDisclosureExerciseLow density lipoproteinMedical risk factorsMyocardial infarctionRisk assessmentsStatins ePublished: 15 September 2015 Issue Published: 15 September 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...