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Discontinuation of Statins: What Are the Risks?

Joel C Marrs1, Matthew D Kostoff2

  • 1Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Mail Stop C238, 12850 E. Montview Blvd., Room V20-2128, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. joel.marrs@ucdenver.edu.

Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|May 26, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Statin therapy offers proven cardiovascular benefits. However, recent data suggest discontinuing statins may increase risks of heart attack and death, warranting careful consideration.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Statin therapy is widely recognized for its benefits in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention.
  • High rates of statin discontinuation are observed within the first year of treatment.
  • National guidelines suggest limited benefit in specific populations like dialysis patients, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and individuals over 75 without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the implications of statin discontinuation on cardiovascular outcomes.
  • To synthesize current evidence regarding the risks associated with stopping statin therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and recent studies on statin use and discontinuation.
  • Analysis of data correlating statin discontinuation with cardiovascular events.

Main Results:

  • Available data do not support statin discontinuation outside of specified guideline exclusions.
  • Recent studies link statin discontinuation to an increased risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death.

Conclusions:

  • Discontinuation of statin therapy should be approached with caution.
  • Careful consideration of individual patient data is crucial before altering statin treatment regimens.

Keywords:
Adverse effectsCardiovascular mortalityCardiovascular riskDiscontinuationStatins

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