A groundbreaking study has revealed that a newly released heart disease risk calculator could significantly impact statin prescriptions. The American Heart Association released the PREVENT calculator last year to determine the 10-year risk of developing heart disease. Researchers found that using this tool could lead to approximately 40% fewer individuals meeting the criteria for statin prescriptions, which are currently prescribed based on 2013 guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.
The current guidelines consider factors such as age, diabetes, blood pressure, and other health indicators to estimate a patient's risk. However, the PREVENT calculator presents a new approach that may influence millions of prescriptions. Statins, while effective in reducing cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease, can also cause side effects like muscle pain, headaches, sleep issues, and digestive problems. The new findings offer patients an opportunity to reassess their need for statins with their healthcare providers.
The study analyzing the impact of the PREVENT calculator used data from 3,785 adults aged 40 to 75, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dr. Tim Anderson, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, led the research team. They compared the new calculator's estimates with those from older guidelines and discovered that the estimated 10-year risk of developing heart disease was about half with the new tool compared to previous models.
Dr. Sadiya Khan, chair of the committee for PREVENT development and professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, emphasized the need for updated guidelines to accompany this new risk calculator.
“Risk models don’t determine who is recommended to take statins, guidelines do,” – Dr. Sadiya Khan
Dr. Khan noted that the establishment of new guidelines to support the PREVENT calculator remains undecided.
“That has not been decided yet.” – Dr. Sadiya Khan
Despite the promising results, Dr. Robert Rosenson, director of lipids and metabolism for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, cautioned that the study's findings might not represent the entire U.S. population due to the limited participant numbers in NHANES.
“Their main point, that fewer patients should be eligible for statins, is based on the limited numbers of people in the NHANES database,” – Dr. Robert Rosenson
The implications of these findings are profound for patients currently on statins for primary prevention. Dr. Shaline Rao highlighted the widespread benefits of statins across various populations but recognized this as an opportunity for patients to discuss their medication needs with doctors.
“We see a lot of benefits of statins across many populations,” – Dr. Shaline Rao
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