Statins given to millions of older Britons don’t prevent heart disease or deaths, study claims

Claim that cholesterol-lowering drug used to lower risk of heart attacks and stroke questioned by experts

Cholesterol-lowering statins which are given to millions of adults in Britain to prevent heart disease and strokes may not have any benefit for the over 75s, a study suggests.

Research published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday flies in the face of research and NHS guidelines which suggest virtually every man over the age of 60 and women over 75 should be on the drug.

The Spanish team behind the latest study found no evidence that statins taken by adults aged 75 or older prevented risk of cardiovascular disease or death, though there was a benefit for patients with diabetes up to the age of 85.

“[These results] do not support the widespread use of statins in old and very old populations”, the authors wrote.

However the conclusions have been questioned by a number of experts who say the study’s design is insufficient to overturn more robust medical evidence showing the pills do help save lives and prevent disability.

The BMJ study set out to assess whether statin treatment is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease and death in old – classed as 75-84 years – and very old – people who are 85 years and over – with and without type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from the University Institute for Primary Care Research Jordi Gol, Barcelona analysed data on almost 47,000 people, with an average age of 77, included in the Catalan primary care system database between 2006 and 2015.

Participants were followed up for an average of 5.6 years to see whether they developed cardiovascular disease (CVD) – coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack and stroke – or if they died.

“These results do not support the widespread use of statins in old and very old populations, but they do support treatment in those with diabetes who are younger than 85 years,” the authors conclude.

However, because the study only observed people’s health outcomes, rather than testing if they changed when randomly assigned to receive either statins or a dummy placebo, it cannot rule out confounding factors.

The main one being that people prescribed a statin are likely to be more prone to heart disease or early death than those whose doctors did not prescribe one.

“Regardless of age, those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke will benefit from taking a statin,” Professor Jeremy Pearson associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation said.

“Previous clinical trials – which are a better measure than observational studies like this – have also suggested that statins can contribute to a reduction in risk of a heart attack or stroke in elderly people who are not at significant risk of heart disease.

“However, further trials are needed to better understand how effective they are in this age group.”

Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: “Due to it’s design this study cannot tell us whether or not statins reduce death or cardiovascular disease in older people.

“This study doesn’t help me decide whether or not an elderly person should go on a statin, which as always should be a joint decision between patient and doctor based on a clear and open discussion about what benefits and risks are involved and include discussion about the other ways risk of cardiovascular disease can be reduced, such as physical activity and diet.”

In 2014, health officials at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advised that more patients should be taking statins to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

The health body suggested that as many as two in every five adults in England could be offered statins on the NHS.