Further weight has been added to calls to make statin prescriptions more widespread after a study was published confirming that they do make the risk of a heart attack less likely, even in healthy individuals.
The researchers from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam have published a study in the British Medical Journal indicating that after reviewing 10 trials into statins and data about over 70,000 patients, statins will cut mortality – from all causes – by 12% in patients who do not already have heart disease. Users were 30% less likely to have a heart attack and 19% less likely to have a stroke.
There have already been calls for statins to be prescribed to as many people as possible over 40, the age when heart problems and high cholesterol become more likely. The researchers said in renowned medical publication that statins should be prescribed to people without heart disease but with other risk factors for heart attacks and strokes, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
They added that it was very likely that many people would benefit from taking statins as long as they were priced reasonably. However they pointed out that identifying people with risk factors would present a challenge and acknowledged that prescribing the medication to all people over a certain age would be difficult in terms of cost and safety.