USPSTF updates statin recommendations for CVD prevention in adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new recommendations governing the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients age 40 to 75 years with no history of CVD and no signs or symptoms of it.

Based on a review of the evidence, USPSTF advises clinicians to prescribe a low- or moderate-dose statin to patients who have at least one risk factor for CVD—such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking—coupled with an estimated 10-year CVD risk reaching or exceeding 10%.

For patients who have one or more CVD risk factors but whose 10-year CVD risk is 7.5% to 10%, the data suggest at least a small net benefit is derived from statin use. The guidelines authors suggest that providers use their discretion to decide whether statin prescribing will benefit individual patients who match this profile. Meanwhile, the evidence was insufficient to gauge the benefits of harms for adults aged 76 years and older.

The recommendations update USPSTF’s 2016 guidance with few changes.