A new study has found that statin medications, commonly used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, are both cost-effective and linked to better health outcomes in people over the age of 70.
Statins are widely prescribed to middle-aged adults to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
However, there has been less certainty about the benefits for older adults, especially those who haven’t had heart problems in the past.
This study, published in the journal Heart, suggests that statins should be considered for most people over 70.
Statins work by lowering levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) in the blood, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The research team wanted to find out whether statins would be beneficial and cost-effective for older adults, especially given the increasing number of people over 70 in the population. Despite the higher risk of heart disease with age, statin use in this age group is relatively low.
The researchers conducted a model-based study to estimate the long-term effects and cost-effectiveness of statins in people aged 70 and older. They used data from 5,103 people who had a history of cardiovascular disease and 15,019 people who did not.
The model looked at how statin use would affect the participants’ quality of life, how long they would live in good health (measured in quality-adjusted life years or QALYs), and the overall healthcare costs.
The results showed that using statins for a lifetime increased the number of years lived in good health (QALYs) by 0.24 to 0.70 for standard statin therapy. For higher-intensity statin therapy, which lowers cholesterol even more, the increase was between 0.04 and 0.13 QALYs.
These benefits were more significant in people who had previous heart problems but were also seen in those without a history of cardiovascular disease, though to a smaller degree.
When the researchers calculated the cost-effectiveness of statin treatment, they found it was highly cost-effective. The cost per QALY gained was less than £3,502 for standard therapy and under £11,778 for high-intensity therapy—well below the typical threshold of £20,000 per QALY used in the UK to determine good value treatments.
Although this was an observational study and can’t prove cause and effect, the researchers believe the findings are strong enough to suggest that most people over 70 could benefit from taking statins. The study did note that there is some uncertainty about the benefits for older people without previous heart disease, as the reductions in risk were smaller for this group.
In conclusion, the researchers stated that while further studies are needed, their findings indicate that statins are likely to provide cost-effective health benefits for older adults and should be considered for most people over 70.
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Source: British Medical Journal.
