Statins cut risk of early death by a quarter for the over-75s
‘Effective and safe’
TAKING statins in old age slashes the risk of an early death by a quarter, a study says – with experts saying it is proof older people should take them.
All over-75s are advised to take the cholesterol-busting drugs to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes in official guidance.
But years of debate over their effectiveness – with some claiming they can do more harm than good, especially in the very old – have put many off taking them.
The latest research – a study of 300,000 Americans led by Harvard University – found the benefits of statins do not diminish with age.
Since 2014, over-75s in the UK have been advised to take the pills, but in reality just 1.5million of the 5.5million in this age group are thought to do so.
Study leader Dr Ariela Orkaby, of Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said old age is ‘not a reason to not prescribe’ the drugs, and added: ‘Statins are commonly studied and prescribed for middle-aged adults but under-studied in people over age 75.
‘One of the most remarkable things about our results is we found the benefit of statins held true regardless of whether a person was older or younger or had a condition such as dementia.’
The team, whose results were published in the JAMA medical journal, found the risk of dying from any cause over the course of a decade was lower by 25 per cent in those who used statins compared with those who did not. The risk of dying from a cardiovascular event – such as a heart attack or stroke – was lower by 20 per cent. They found the benefits remained true among those at advanced ages, including the over-90s.
Lower deaths were also seen among those with dementia and other conditions, who have been excluded from previous studies. Much of the row over statins has stemmed from doctors’ uneasiness at the ‘medicalisation’ of otherwise healthy people – doling out statins ‘just in case’ they suffer health problems.
But experts have estimated up to 8,000 British pensioners needlessly die of heart disease each year because they are not on statins.
Researchers from Oxford University last year said millions are missing out on the pills due to widespread ‘ageism’ and the pervading ‘myth’ that they do not help the elderly.
Professor Colin Baigent, who led that study, said at the time: ‘Very often doctors are unwilling to consider statin therapy for people who are elderly simply because they are old. There is an idea that the person is elderly, they are going to have many other things happen to them, so why bother?’
He added: ‘My view is that everybody over the age of 75 should be offered a statin, there should be a discussion between that person and their GP.’
Cholesterol expert Professor Peter Sever, of Imperial College London, welcomed the new Harvard study last night.
He said: ‘These data are impressive and reassuring and suggest statins are effective and safe in elderly people, in whom the incident rates of cardiovascular disease are very high, and in whom the benefits of statins are potentially very great.’