Statins are not associated with a decrease in all cause mortality in a high-risk primary prevention setting

Bernhard M Kaess1, 

Ramachandran S Vasan2

¹Framingham Heart Study and Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin II, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

1. ²Framingham Heart Study and Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Correspondence toBernhard M Kaess
   73 Mount Wayte Avenue, Suite 2, Framingham, MA 01702–5803, USA; kaess@bu.edu

Commentary on:

1. Ray KK, 
2. Seshasai SR, 
3. Erqou S, 
4. et al
 

. Statins and all-cause mortality in high-risk primary prevention: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 65,229 participants.Arch Intern Med 2010;170:1024–31.

 

[Abstract/FREE Full text]

Context

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-C) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) lower LDL-C concentrations by about 30–50% and have been shown to reduce mortality in patients with prevalent CVD. However, it is not clear whether statin treatment is beneficial in a primary prevention setting, that is in people without prevalent CVD who are at relatively lower risk. The recent results of the JUPITER trial1 have fuelled an intense debate whether statins should be given for primary prevention of CVD./.../