Is Crestor for Everyone Over 50?

Seattle, WAStatins such as Crestor have been touted as an important and relatively risk-free way for people to avoid life-threatening cardiovascular events. But some researchers are concerned that taking the medications expose patients to an increased risk of issues such as Crestor side effects, without actually improving health outcomes. An article and editorial in BMJ (British Medical Journal; 10/23/13) stress that doctors and patients should be cautious in their use of statins.

Statins are used to decrease the risk of potentially fatal cardiovascular events in patients. Of concern, however, is that statins are increasingly being prescribed to patients who are at low risk of a cardiovascular event. Some studies have found low risk of adverse events associated with statin therapy. One such study, cited in the BMJ editorial “Statins for all over 50? No,” was the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists (CTT) Collaboration, which found that statins reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events in people at low risk. But as the author of the BMJ editorial noted, all of the trials included in the CTT analysis received funding from statin manufacturers.

Furthermore, studies have shown that heart disease is linked to poor diet, smoking and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, many low-risk patients could benefit from a lifestyle change, which is less expensive than medication and comes with much lower risks, making it more desirable than medication.

Meanwhile, an article in BMJ (10/22/13) argues that patients who have a 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease that is less than 10 percent will receive no overall health benefit from taking statins. The article’s authors argue against increasing prescription guidelines to include people at such low risk. They further argue that prescribing statins to this population will increase the risk of adverse events - including diabetes and, according to recent studies, cataracts - without providing substantial benefits.

Statins have been linked to a reduced risk of heart attack or stroke in patients who have already had such an event. But whether or not they are beneficial to people with a low risk of heart disease is controversial. Critics argue that because the benefits are so limited, patients should not be put at unnecessary risk of statin side effects. Lawsuits filed against the makers of statin drugs allege patients were not adequately warned about the risk of side effects.