Loading...
Meta-analyses have shown that statins safely lower the incidence of major vascular events (MVEs, including nonfatal myocardial infarction or coronary death, any stroke, or coronary revascularization) by about 20% for every 40 mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol level. But the net benefit of statin therapy in patients at low vascular risk has been unclear.
In a new meta-analysis of patient-level data from 27 randomized trials of statins versus control treatments or high- versus low-dose statins, researchers stratified 170,000 participants by their pretrial 5-year risk for MVEs (from <5% to ≥30%). Overall, statins lowered 5-year relative risk for MVEs by 21% per 40 mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol level, and risk reductions were more pronounc…