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Statin Treatment for Older Adults: The Impact of the 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guidelines

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Abstract

The 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) practice guidelines for the treatment of blood cholesterol significantly changed the paradigm of how providers should prescribe statin therapy, especially for older adults. While the evidence supports statin therapy for older adults with cardiovascular disease for secondary prevention and with high cardiovascular risk for primary prevention, the evidence is lacking for older adults without major cardiovascular risk aside from age. The unclear evidence base for older adults must be considered along with the potential harms of statin therapy when incorporating the 2013 ACC/AHA practice guidelines for considering statin treatment, particularly for primary prevention for older adults.

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Acknowledgments

No external funding was used in the preparation of this review and the authors have no potential conflicts of interest that are relevant to the content of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brookdale Plaza, Brooklyn, NY, 11212, USA

    Yitzchak Weinberger

  2. Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 550 1st Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Benjamin H. Han

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  1. Yitzchak Weinberger
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  2. Benjamin H. Han
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Correspondence to Benjamin H. Han.

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Weinberger, Y., Han, B.H. Statin Treatment for Older Adults: The Impact of the 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guidelines. Drugs Aging 32, 87–93 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-014-0238-5

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