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Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles
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Published on: November 10, 2017

Evidence-based treatment of lipids in the elderly

Micah J Eimer1, Neil J Stone

  • 1Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 211 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|August 7, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Statins effectively reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risks in the elderly. This review highlights their benefits, risks, and the importance of clinical judgment for statin therapy in older adults.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Geriatrics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Elderly individuals face high risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) morbidity and mortality.
  • Statins are proven to reduce ASCVD events in middle-aged and elderly populations.
  • Older adults represent a significant cohort in major statin trials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review major statin trials focusing on elderly subjects.
  • To analyze the positive and negative impacts of statins in the elderly population.
  • To discuss risk assessment and clinical judgment for statin use in older adults.

Main Methods:

  • Review of large-scale statin clinical trials.
  • Emphasis on data from elderly participants.
  • Tabulation of statin effects (positive and negative) in older individuals.

Main Results:

  • Statins demonstrate efficacy in reducing ASCVD events in the elderly.
  • The review tabulates both benefits and adverse effects of statins in this demographic.
  • Clinical judgment is crucial for selecting elderly patients for statin therapy.

Conclusions:

  • Statins offer significant benefits for ASCVD risk reduction in the elderly.
  • Careful consideration of risks, costs, and individual patient factors is essential.
  • Risk assessment, including subclinical atherosclerosis, guides statin therapy decisions in older adults.

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