Health
Why Seniors Over 70 Might Benefit from This Medication, According to New Research
With cardiovascular disease becoming increasingly prevalent, maintaining heart health is crucial, particularly for those over 70. According to the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), about 70 percent of individuals in this age group are likely to develop cardiovascular disease during their lifetime. While a well-balanced diet, stress management, regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight are key to preventing heart disease, new research highlights the potential benefits of statins for seniors.
The human body produces both “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, can lead to heart attacks and strokes if not managed properly. Statins are medications designed to lower and control LDL levels, potentially saving lives.
Borislava Mihaylova, PhD, an associate professor and senior health economist at the University of Oxford, emphasized the importance of statins for older adults.
“As we age, our risk of having a heart attack or a stroke increases. Having high levels of LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood further increases your risk. Statins are a type of medicine that lower levels of LDL cholesterol and reduce risk of heart attacks and stroke,” she explained.
Although statin use is more common among middle-aged adults, recent research published in the journal suggests that those over 70 should discuss this cholesterol-lowering drug with their healthcare providers, particularly if their LDL levels are borderline.
“Despite high risks of heart disease and stroke in older people, and high need for preventive treatment such as statins, fewer older people use statins compared to middle-aged people,” Mihaylova noted.
Mihaylova and her research team analyzed data from 20,000 profiles in the U.K. Biobank and Whitehall II study, focusing on adults 70 years or older with and without a history of cardiovascular disease. The study, limited to the U.K., used a “cardiovascular disease microsimulation model” to predict participants’ cardiovascular risks, survival rates, quality-adjusted life years, and healthcare costs with and without lifetime standard or higher intensity statin therapy.
The findings are compelling. The model showed that standard statin therapy reduces LDL cholesterol levels by 35 to 45 percent, while higher-intensity statin treatment lowers LDL cholesterol by at least 45 percent, possibly more. Additionally, lifetime standard statin treatment increased quality-adjusted life years by 0.24-0.70, and 0.04-0.13 for higher-intensity statin therapy.
Board-certified cardiologist and lipidologist Yu-Ming Ni, MD, shared his thoughts on the benefits of statins.
“We’ve known for a very long time that statins prevent heart disease. They’re especially effective for patients who already have heart disease to prevent a recurrent event—that means another heart attack, stroke, or leg artery blockage,” he said.
Dr. Ni added, “Patients benefit from these medications by reducing their risk for events, it improves the quality of life, and reduces symptoms from those events, and the result is that people live longer and healthier.”
In addition to their health benefits, statins were found to be cost-effective for both groups studied (those with and without a history of heart disease). Mihaylova noted that statin treatment is “likely to be of good value-for-money” for adults over 70.
She concluded, “Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of disability and death. In addition to statin treatment, people at high cardiovascular risk need further effective and cost-effective treatments to reduce their risks.”
As the research suggests, seniors should consider discussing statin therapy with their healthcare providers to potentially improve their heart health and overall quality of life.
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