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Published on: November 10, 2017

Discontinuation of statin therapy - an updated review

Emmanuel Orfanos1,2, Jae Hyun Byun1, Stella S Daskalopoulou1

  • 1Vascular Health Unit, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

Current Opinion in Cardiology
|May 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Statin discontinuation is common and linked to worse cardiovascular outcomes. Addressing patient, clinician, and system factors is crucial for improving statin adherence and reducing cardiovascular risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global health concern, with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as a key modifiable risk factor.
  • Statins are primary treatments for lowering LDL-C and reducing cardiovascular events, mortality, and overall mortality.
  • Despite proven benefits, statin discontinuation and poor adherence are prevalent issues affecting treatment efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize current knowledge on the epidemiology, clinical factors, and outcomes associated with statin discontinuation.
  • To highlight the impact of statin non-adherence on cardiovascular risk reduction strategies.

Main Methods:

  • This narrative review synthesizes recent literature on statin discontinuation.
  • Analysis includes epidemiological data, clinical determinants, and patient outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Statin discontinuation rates vary widely (0.8-70.5%), particularly in primary prevention.
  • Factors influencing discontinuation include demographics (male sex, non-White ethnicity), lifestyle (smoking), insurance status, and polypharmacy (conflicting data).
  • Approximately 40% of patients exhibit suboptimal adherence, and discontinuation correlates with increased cardiovascular events, hospitalizations, and mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Statin discontinuation and poor adherence significantly impede effective cardiovascular risk reduction.
  • Improving long-term statin adherence requires addressing determinants at patient, clinician, and system levels.
Abstract

Keywords:
adherencecardiovascular diseasestatin discontinuationstatin therapy

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