Unlock a Healthier Golden Age: How This Medicine Can Slash Heart Disease and Stroke Risk After 70
Statins Found to be Cost-Effective for Older Adults
Survival rates are increasing and treatment costs are decreasing, considering quality of life
The risk of heart disease and stroke increases with age. A study found that people over 70 need to take statins to reduce this risk. Statins are drugs that lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood and are widely used in middle-aged patients.
A study published in Heart found that statins were cost-effective and associated with better health outcomes for people over 70, regardless of whether they had a history of cardiovascular disease. The researchers looked at individual patient data from large-scale statin clinical trials in the United Kingdom and estimated how statin therapy might affect patients’ risk of developing heart disease, health-related quality of life, and lifetime health-related treatment costs.
The study found that statins increased survival after considering quality of life in both men and women aged 70 years and over, and were cost-effective, regardless of a history of heart disease or stroke or LDL cholesterol levels. Taking statins was associated with a significant increase in quality-adjusted life years, particularly at high-intensity doses. The cost of life gained after considering quality of life was less than £3,500 for standard statins and less than £12,000 for high-intensity treatment.
“Globally, many people suffer preventable heart disease and stroke due to lack of access to effective, low-cost treatments such as statins,” said study lead author Professor Borislav Mikhaylova of the University of Oxford. “Improving access to statins in older people could improve health outcomes and be cost-effective.”
Dr Sonya Babu Narayan, consultant cardiologist and deputy medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Statins have transformed the prevention of future heart attacks and strokes. This new study shows potential benefits in older people, and for those over 70, lifelong benefits.”
Dr. Mashkur Khan, chairman of the Royal College of Physicians and Geriatrics, said: “Statins can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk in frail older people, and also have positive effects on cognitive function and dementia prevention. Statins should be started early. They have an anti-inflammatory effect on blood vessels, and even in people with normal cholesterol levels, they help prevent stroke and heart attack, and diabetes complications.”