Statins ‘can help younger people too’
MILLIONS of people in their 20s and 30s should be offered statins, scientists have said as a study proved the drug cuts heart disease deaths.
The Imperial College London findings challenge guidelines that make it difficult for younger patients to obtain the pills, which cost less than 5p a day, even if they have high cholesterol.
The new research is the most detailed of its kind, focusing purely on the relationship between cholesterol, statins and mortality. Its authors said the results demonstrate that even modest reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad”, cholesterol yields a “significant” survival benefit. The research involved volunteers aged 45 to 64. However, the strength of the relationship between statins and improved survival – 28 per cent – shows the drugs should be considered for all patients with high-cholesterol, regardless of their age, the scientists said.
Published in the journal Circulation, the results are likely to increase the scrutiny of current guidelines for statin eligibility as placing too much weight on the patient’s age, instead of cholesterol levels. Last month, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that statins were unnecessarily “doled out to millions” simply by virtue of their age.
Last night, Prof Kausik Ray, who led the new research, said between five and 10 per cent of people in their 20s and 30s – more than 1.6million, could have dangerously high cholesterol.
Unless they can prove a familial risk, however, they are unlikely to be prescribed statins. “There is a large group of younger people out there with worrying cholesterol who could benefit from statins,” Prof Ray told The Daily Telegraph. “If you are young and you can’t demonstrate a family risk, then it means you’re not eligible, you’re left untreated when you should be treated.”
The 20-year project examined data from 2,560 men taking part in a randomised clinical trial to test the effects of pravastatin versus a placebo.
All the men had very high levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol (higher than 4.9mmol/l) but had no evidence of heart disease at the start of the study.
They found that compared with the placebo, there was a 27 per cent reduced risk of coronary heart disease, a 28 per cent reduced risk of dying from coronary heart disease, and a 25 per cent reduced risk of coronary “events” such as a heart attack. There was also an 18 per cent reduced risk of dying from any cause over the 20-year period. “Our study lends support to LDL’S status as a major driver of heart disease risk, and suggests that even modest LDL reductions might offer significant mortality benefits in the long-term.”
Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The role of cholesterol in causing heart disease has been disputed by some, but this paper provides yet more evidence of the link, and the benefits of statins to prevent heart disease.”