NEWS

Uspstf Updates Recommendations on Statin Use For Primary Prevention

The USPSTF has finalized recommendations on statin use for primary prevention, now recommending low- to moderate-dose statin use for adults aged 40 to 75 years without cardiovascular disease (CVD) who have at least one CVD risk factor and a 10-year CVD risk of 10% or greater.
The new guidelines come as an update to the 2008 USPSTF recommendations on screening for lipid disorders in adults.
The group reviewed available evidence on the benefits and harms of screening and treatment for dyslipidemia in adults, as well as the effects of statin use in reducing cardiovascular events and mortality in individuals without a history of CVD, and the effects of various treatments in adults without a history of CVD events.
In the new guidelines, the USPSTF recommends initiating low- to moderate-dose statins in adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10% or greater (B recommendation). They have also recommended that clinicians selectively offer low-to moderate-dose statins to adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 7.5% to 10% (Crecommendation).
“The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is
insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of initiating statin use for the primary prevention of CVD events and mortality in adults 76 years and older without a history of heart attack or stroke (I statement).”

Reference:
US Preventive Services Task Force. Statin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular
disease in adults. JAMA. 2016;316(19):1997-2007.