US heart panel recommends statins for a third of US adults -- BBC

 

 Millions of Americans take statins to lower cholesterol

A third of all adult Americans should consider taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, according to the first such new guidelines in a decade.

It is estimated that 33 million Americans - 44% of men and 22% of women - would meet the threshold for taking statins, under the advice issued by two leading US medical organisations.

The drugs are currently recommended for 15% of adults.

The guidelines for the first time take aim at strokes, not just heart attacks.

Under the current advice, statins are recommended for those who have total cholesterol over 200 and LDL, or "bad cholesterol", of over 100.

But the new recommendations, issued by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, place much less emphasis on setting numerical cholesterol-lowering targets for patients.

The advice introduces a new formula for calculating a patient's risk of heart disease based on such factors as age, gender and race, instead of high cholesterol levels alone.

"This guideline represents a departure from previous guidelines because it doesn't focus on specific target levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, although the definition of optimal LDL cholesterol has not changed," Dr Neil Stone, author of the report, said in a statement.

It is thought that more women and African-Americans, who are deemed to be at higher risk of stroke, could find themselves taking statins if they follow the guidelines.

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