The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its 2016 recommendations for use of statins for primary prevention of clinical cardiovascular disease, according to an Aug. 23 statement on its website.
The task force made three recommendations for individuals ages 40 to 75 without clinical cardiovascular disease with low-density lipoprotein lower than 190 mg/dL and without known familial hypercholesterolemia:
- Individuals with an estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease event risk of 10 percent or higher and at least one risk factor are likely to have moderate benefit from a moderate-intensity statin.
- Individuals with an estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease event risk of 7.5 percent to less than 10 percent and at least one risk factor are likely to experience small net benefit from a moderate-intensity statin; clinicians should engage patients in decision-making.
- There is insufficient evidence to assess the net harms and benefits of statins in adults 76 and older, regardless of estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease event risk or risk factors.