High-Dose Statin Confers Additional Benefit in Older Patients with CHD

High-dose atorvastatin offers additional cardiovascular benefit to older adults with coronary heart disease, reports a study in Annals of Internal Medicine.
A secondary analysis from the manufacturer-supported Treating to New Targets study examined cardiovascular events among some 3800 adults aged 65 and older with CHD who were randomized to receive 80 mg or 10 mg of atorvastatin. Mean LDL cholesterol levels in the two groups were reduced to 72 mg/dL and 97 mg/dL, respectively, by 12 weeks and remained stable throughout the study.
During a median follow-up of 5 years, the primary endpoint — a composite of death due to CHD, nonfatal MI, cardiac arrest, and stroke — occurred in fewer high-dose than low-dose recipients (10.3% vs. 12.6%).
The authors say their findings support "National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for use of intensive LDL cholesterol–lowering therapy in high-risk older persons," as well as American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recommendations to lower LDL cholesterol to well below 100 mg/dL "in any patient with established CHD."