Should people at low cardiovascular risk take statins?Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaborators (2012) The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials. Lancet doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60367-5 , (online ahead of print)

Lipid and lipoprotein disorders are well known risk factors for atherosclerosis and its complications. The level of atherogenic LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) is directly related to an increased risk of occurrence and progression of ischemic heart disease. Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that the use of statin therapy to decrease LDL-C can significantly reduce the incidence of mortality, major coronary events and the need for revascularization procedures in the different groups of patients. The findings of a large meta-analysis conducted by the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists? (CTT) collaborators showed that every 1.0 mmol/l reduction of atherogenic LDL-C is associated with a 22% reduction in cardiovascular diseases mortality and morbidity. However, despite the impressive results of the benefits of statin therapy, the EUROASPIRE study showed that about 50% of patients with ischemic heart disease did not achieve target LDL-C levels. According to the new ESC/EAS Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidaemias in patients with a very high cardiovascular risk, treatment goal should be to decrease LDL-C below 1.8 mmol/l or ?50% of initial values. In the majority of patients that can be achieved by statin therapy. For this reason an adequate choice of statins is of crucial importance, whereby the needed reduction in atherogenic LDL-C, after the identification of its target level based on the assessment of total cardiovascular risk, can be achieved.

Download Full-text

Abstract P011: Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Longevity

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.137.suppl_1.p011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Michelle C Odden ◽

Andreea Rawlings ◽

Alice Arnold ◽

Mary Cushman ◽

Mary Lou Biggs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Systolic Blood Pressure ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Old Age ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Ldl Cholesterol ◽

Low Cardiovascular Risk

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in old age, yet there is limited research on the patterns of cardiovascular risk factors that predict survival to 90 years. Hypothesis: The patterns of cardiovascular risk factors that portend longevity will differ from those that confer low cardiovascular risk. Methods: We examined repeated measures of blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, and BMI from age 67 and survival to 90 years in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). CHS is a prospective study of 5,888 black and white adults in two waves (1989-90 and 1992-93) from Medicare eligibility lists in four counties in the U.S. We restricted to participants aged 67 to 75 years at baseline to control for birth cohort effects and examined repeated measures of cardiovascular risk factors throughout the late-life course. We fit logistic regression models to predict survival to age 90 using generalized estimating equations, and modeled the risk factors as linear, a linear spline, and clinically relevant categories. Models were adjusted for demographics and medication use, and we also examined whether the association of each risk factor with longevity varied by the age of risk factor measurement. Best fit models are presented. Results: Among 3,645 participants in the birth cohort, 1,160 (31.8%) survived to 90 by June 16 th , 2015. Higher systolic blood pressure in early old age was associated with reduced odds for longevity, but there was an interaction with age such that the association crossed the null at 80 years. (Table) Among those with LDL-cholesterol <130 mg/dL, higher LDL-cholesterol was associated with greater longevity; at levels above 130 mg/dL there was no association between LDL-cholesterol and longevity. BMI had a u-shaped association with longevity. Conclusions: In summary, the patterns of risk factors that predict longevity differ from that considered to predict low cardiovascular risk. The risk of high systolic blood pressure appears to depend on the age of blood pressure measurement.

Download Full-text