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NEW DRUG DATA SHOW BENEFITS But the picture is becoming clearer. A slew of recent studies have shown that statins may have significant benefits in older age groups. “Your physiology
doesn't suddenly change when you turn 75 years of age,” says Steven Nissen, M.D., chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. In data released in July, researchers
followed more than 320,000 veterans age 75 and older for about seven years. “There was a 25 percent lower risk of dying from any cause among those who were taking a statin, compared to those
who never did — and a 20 percent lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, among those who started taking a statin after age 75,” says the
study's lead author, Ariela Orkaby, M.D., MPH, a physician scientist at the VA Boston Healthcare System and assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
What's more, in a 2019 French study, people ages 75 to 79 experienced a health issue after going off these cholesterol-lowering medications. Over a follow-up period of up to four years,
10 percent of those who discontinued their statins were later admitted to the hospital for cardiovascular problems, compared with only 8 percent of those who stayed on the drugs. Similarly,
an Israeli study, also published in 2019, in the _Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,_ found that older people who adhered to their statin prescription had a 34 percent lower chance
of an early death from any cause than those who stopped taking the drug. Cardiologists are quick to point out that such research, showing correlations, isn't the strongest type of
data. Still, the studies are compelling. “They've been so consistent,” says Lewis. “Across the board, statins appear to [lower risk] about 20 to 30 percent, compared to placebo, no
matter how old you are and no matter your baseline level of risk." A new NIH/Duke University study is expected to resolve the age question. Called “Pragmatic Evaluation of Events and
Benefits of Lipid-Lowering in Older Adults (PREVENTABLE),” the study will enroll 20,000 adults age 75 and older to investigate the overall benefits and risks of statins — not just for their
heart health but for their neurological function. The results won't be available for several years, but in the meantime, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart
Association call statins a reasonable choice for older people when other measures have not worked to bring down their cholesterol levels. With one caveat: It depends on the patient.
"When I see a patient over 75 who I believe has a relatively long life expectancy and who has elevated cholesterol and maybe some other risk factors, like diabetes or hypertension, I
discuss with them the pros and cons of statins and suggest we try one,” says Nissen. “If they tolerate it well, without any adverse effects, then I think I've done them a lot of good.”