Although the risk of death from heart disease increases with age, a recent NIA-supported study suggests that adults 75 and older who start taking a cholesterol-lowering drug known as a statin may have a lower risk of death than nonusers. Findings were reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“So everyone over 75 is at high risk.” On the other hand, older patients are more likely to be on multiple medications that can interact with statins. And there's some evidence that this age group may be more prone to statin side effects, such as muscle pain, an increased risk of diabetes, and liver problems.
Do not start a statin in patients ages ≥ 75 years who do not have known vascular disease or type 2 diabetes; start or continue a statin in all patients ages 75 to 84 with type 2 diabetes to prevent cardiovascular events and mortality; and start or continue a statin in patients ages > 75 years who have known vascular ...
The task force recommends that people ages 40 to 75 years at high risk for CVD should initiate statin use to prevent a heart attack or stroke. People in the same age range who are at increased risk should talk to their doctor about whether a statin is appropriate.
Although the risk of death from heart disease increases with age, a recent NIA-supported study suggests that adults 75 and older who start taking a cholesterol-lowering drug known as a statin may have a lower risk of death than nonusers.
No surprise there. But half of men, ages to 65 to 74, and 39% of women, ages 75 and older—that's pretty stunning. Combine the 45+ age groups and both genders, and it comes out that one in four Americans, ages 45 and older, are taking a statin. There are roughly 127 million Americans over age 45.
—Italian researchers have shown that discontinuing statins in elderly patients on multiple medications increases risk of cardiovascular outcomes, hospitalization, and death. Do not discontinue statins in older patients as a way to address concerns over polypharmacy.
inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), which can cause flu-like symptoms. inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), which can cause stomach pain. skin problems, such as acne or an itchy red rash. sexual problems, such as loss of libido (reduced sex drive) or erectile dysfunction.
While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people. Rarely, they may cause liver damage.
Statins can stabilize cholesterol plaque already attached to artery walls, making it less likely to get worse or rupture, causing a heart attack or stroke. "Statins also help remove cholesterol from you blood by causing the liver to express more LDL cholesterol receptors that take cholesterol out of your blood," Dr.
Taking statins can enable you to live years longer. That's because for every millimole per liter you drop your bad LDL cholesterol, you may live three years longer––maybe even six years longer, depending on which study you're reading.
According to JUPITER and HOPE-3 trials, rosuvastatin reduces significantly the risk of combined outcomes, consisting of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular death by 49% in patients between 65 and 70 years old, and by 26% in those more than 70 years old [11,12].
It's important to know that stopping statins cold turkey, or even gradually, can cause serious health problems and you should talk to your doctor before doing so. To understand more about your heart health, take a health risk assessment at Baptist Health.
Statin therapy may be associated with a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, including myopathy, myalgias, muscle weakness, back conditions, injuries, and arthropathies. These disorders may be particularly problematic in older people and may contribute to physical deconditioning and frailty.
Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage. Things that can increase this risk include: being over 70 years old.
If your risk is very low, you probably won't need a statin, unless your LDL is above 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L). If your risk is very high — for example, you've had a heart attack in the past — a statin may be helpful even if you don't have high cholesterol.
Elevated cholesterol levels are not uncommon in the elderly (61% of women aged between 65 and 74 have total cholesterol levels over 6.2 mmol/L [240 mg/dL]).
Summary: As many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduce the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the cholesterol-lowering drugs cause muscle pain and other side-effects.
Clinician Summary. What does the USPSTF recommend? For adults aged 40 to 75 years who have 1 or more cardiovascular risk factors (ie, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and an estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of 10% or greater: Initiate a statin.
You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it. Just take your next dose as usual the following day.
Some 8.5% of them had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, within four years – versus 7.6% of those who continued taking statins. And 6.6% of patients who stopped taking statins died of all causes, versus 5.4% of those who kept taking them.