Welcome to the Cross County Cardiology Education Team's latest blog post! Today, we’re discussing an important topic: the use of statins for preventing heart diseases in older adults.
Why This Matters: Statins are medications that can help lower cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart diseases and other serious health issues. However, there's been a lot of debate about whether they should be used for people aged 75 and older. This uncertainty exists because older adults are often not included in many medical studies.
The Study: We wanted to find out more about the benefits and risks of using statins in two age groups:
- Older adults (aged 75-84)
- Very old adults (aged 85 and older)
To do this, the study looked at real-life medical records from Hong Kong. It compared people who started using statins with those who did not between January 2008 and December 2015.
Who Was Included: The study included:
- 69,981 people aged 75-84
- 14,555 people aged 85 and older
We excluded anyone who already had heart diseases like coronary heart disease (CHD) at the start. Many of the people in our study had other conditions like diabetes, which are known to increase the risk of heart problems.
What We Measured: We checked for:
- Major heart problems (like strokes or heart attacks)
- Deaths from any cause
- Major side effects (like muscle problems or liver issues)
What We Found: Over about five years of follow-up, we discovered that:
- 9,676 people aged 75-84 and 1,600 people aged 85 or older developed heart problems.
- Starting statin therapy reduced the risk of heart problems for both age groups.
- Importantly, using statins did not increase the risk of serious side effects in either group.
Conclusion: The study shows that using statins can help reduce heart problems in people aged 75 years and older without causing severe side effects. This benefit was also seen in people aged 85 years and older.
Why It’s Important: Understanding the benefits and risks of statin therapy for older adults can help doctors and patients make better-informed decisions about their health. With proper use, statins can be a valuable tool in managing and preventing heart diseases in our aging population.
At Cross County Cardiology, we are committed to providing you with the latest information and research to help you make the best decisions for your heart health. If you have any questions or concerns about statin therapy or your heart health, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Stay heart-healthy!
Cross County Cardiology Education Team
