February 11, 2019 – Statins and Age

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Anchor lead: Are statins useful even as we age? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Statins are used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Now a new study shows that even as people get older there are still good reasons to take a statin. That’s according to Seth Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.

Martin: Overall the main message from this meta analysis is that it reinforces that across the age spectrum there’s benefits of statin therapy through LDL lowering.  :10

Martin notes that if you’ve never had a heart problem and you’re over 80, the jury is still out.

Martin: Does it really make sense now, at age 80, to start a statin when you’ve made it that far without a cardiovascular event, they acknowledge that its an open question in that primary prevention context. There is still some uncertainty around the evidence. :15

Martin says that studies are currently underway looking at this very question, so for now, talk with your doctor about whether a statin makes sense for you. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.