Should Everyone Be on a Statin? CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Posted 03/06/2007
Charles P. Vega, MD, FAAFP

Summary and Viewpoint
Statins have become some of the most popular medications prescribed in primary care offices, and for good reason. In a meta-analysis involving 25 studies enrolling 69,511 individuals with a history of coronary heart disease, statin therapy reduced the rate of coronary heart disease mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction by 25% and reduced all-cause mortality by 16%.[1] The beneficial effects of statins in this meta-analysis were evident in both sexes and among older adults, and statins improved outcomes regardless of baseline levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

The record of cholesterol-lowering therapy in improving outcomes among patients without a prior history of cardiovascular disease is less strong. A previous meta-analysis examining all cholesterol-lowering medications in the primary prevention of cardiovascular events and death found a reduction in the rate of coronary heart disease events of 30%.[2] However, the mortality rate was unaffected by the use of cholesterol-lowering medications, and when the authors examined trials of statins alone, these medications failed to reduce rates of coronary heart disease or mortality....