Statins for⁣ Older Adults: A Cost-Effective Way to‍ Reduce Heart Disease and Stroke Risk

Heart disease and stroke are​ leading ‌causes of death ⁣and disability worldwide. As you age, your risk of heart disease and stroke increases. Statins are drugs ⁤that reduce this risk by ⁢lowering the level of low-density‌ lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called “bad” cholesterol in ⁤your blood.

Researchers at‌ the ‌University ‌of Oxford in the ‌UK have concluded that taking statins is highly beneficial to the‌ health of people over 70 in terms of ‍cost-effectiveness, regardless of whether they‌ have cardiovascular​ disease or not.

Study Findings

Borislava Mikhailova, professor of ⁣population health at the University of Oxford, who published the research findings in the online edition of​ the journal Heart, said: “Many⁤ people around the world suffer from preventable diseases ‍due to lack of ‌access to⁢ effective ⁤and affordable⁤ treatments ⁢such as heart‍ disease and stroke.”

Professor Mikhailova and her colleagues assessed ​the⁣ health benefits of taking statins in older people ⁤in the ‌UK and found that they were associated with better health outcomes ‍in‌ people aged over 70, regardless of history of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers⁢ studied 5,103 people ⁤with cardiovascular disease and 15,019 people without, and measured cardiovascular risk, survival rate, quality-adjusted life years (QAELs),​ and ⁤expected medical costs due to ⁣statin use.

Benefits ⁢of Statins

The ⁢researchers found that ​taking statins, especially at higher doses, significantly increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). QALY is a measure‌ used‍ by the UK’s National Institute for Health⁣ and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to assess whether a treatment is worth providing in the public health system.

The researchers calculated that lifetime use of standard statin therapy (35% to 45% reduction ⁢in bad cholesterol) increased quality-adjusted life years from 0.24 to‍ 0.70, and use of high-intensity statin therapy (45% or more reduction in bad cholesterol) added ​QALY increases from 0.04‌ to 0.13.

Cost-Effectiveness

For standard statin use, the cost per quality-adjusted life year was estimated at‍ less than £3,500 (approximately KRW 6.13 million), and for high-intensity therapy, the cost was estimated⁤ at less than £12,000 (approximately ⁤KRW⁢ 21.03 million), ⁤much lower than NICE standards.

Expert Opinions

Dr Sonia Babu-Narayan, a cardiologist and deputy ‍chief medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Statins have revolutionised the prevention of heart attacks and strokes.”

Dr ‍Mashkur Khan, head​ of⁢ the department of geriatrics and gerontology at the Royal Society ⁣of ⁤Medicine, said:⁣ “The use of new statins could significantly ‍reduce ‍cardiovascular risk in frail older people, ‍which could ⁤also have positive ​effects on cognitive function and the prevention of dementia.”