Statins for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Review of Evidence and Recommendations for Clinical Practice.

Abstract

Numerous large randomized clinical trials have shown that statin therapy is effective and safe for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) for adults aged 40 to 75 years and support the use of 10-year CVD risk as a means to identify individuals for treatment. Uncertainty exists in those older than 75 years who may be more likely to benefit because of their underlying CVD risk, but also face uncertain harms. Several high-quality mathematical simulation models have shown that statin therapy is cost-effective for primary prevention of atherosclerotic CVD. Despite effectiveness and safety, statins are underutilized for primary prevention.