The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has shared a new draft recommendation statement on the use of statins to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among different patient populations.
High-risk patients between the ages of 40 to 75 should take a statin to help prevent a first heart attack or stroke, the USPSTF recommended. This represents a “B” grade.
Patients from that same age group who only face an elevated risk of CVD — not quite a high risk — could also potentially benefit from statin therapy, but the USPSTF said they should consult with a healthcare provider to be sure. This represents a “C” grade.
What about patients 76 years old and older? The USPSTF said it could not make a recommendation at this time, calling for additional research in this area.
“Statins are an important tool for preventing cardiovascular disease and prolonging life,” John Wong, MD, USPSTF member and interim chief scientific officer at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in a prepared statement. “Whether someone should start taking a statin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke largely depends on their age and risk for CVD.”
The full draft recommendation is available here. Public comments can be sent to the USPSTF through March 21.
The group also emphasized that statin use remains low among black and Hispanic adults, a sign that more work needs to be done to help those patients receive the medications they need.
“The USPSTF urgently calls for more research to better understand and help eliminate the inequities in CVD and statin use among black and Hispanic communities,” Carol Mangione, MD, USPSTF vice chair and chair in medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the same statement. “We are committed to helping reverse the negative impacts of systemic racism on cardiovascular health, such as by identifying ways to improve access to medications that could reduce racial and ethnic disparities.”
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.