TABLE 1

Studies of lipid-lowering therapy discussed in this paper

StudyDesignPopulationMean follow-up
PROSPER13Randomized controlled trial
Pravastatin 40 mg vs placebo		N = 5,804, mean age 75
Primary and secondary prevention
Mini-Mental State score ≥ 24 of 30		3.2 years
JUPITER28,29Randomized controlled trial
Rosuvastatin 20 mg vs placebo		N = 5,695 (elderly subgroup)
Median age 74
Primary prevention		1.9 years (stopped prematurely)
CTT32Meta-analysisNot applicableaVariable
Afilalo et al31Meta-analysisN = 19,569
Age range 65–82
Secondary prevention		4.9 years
SPARCL27,30Randomized controlled trial
Atorvastatin 80 mg vs placebo		N = 2,249 (subgroup age ≥ 65)
Mean age of subgroup 72.4
Secondary prevention		4.9 years
GISSI-HF25Randomized controlled trial
Rosuvastatin 10 mg vs placebo		N = 4,574, mean age 68
Heart failure, NYHA class II to IV		3.9 years (median)
CORONA26Randomized controlled trial
Rosuvastatin 10 mg vs placebo		N = 5,011, mean age 73
Heart failure, NYHA class II to IV		2.7 years

  • ↵a The CTT meta-analysis presents the effects of statins on major vascular events per annum, per 1.0 mmol/L reduction in LDL-C according to 5-year risk at baseline. The analysis in patients > 70 years old includes a total of 2,952 events in the statin group and 3,385 events in the control group (or a total of 6,337 events.

  • CORONA = Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure; CTT = Cholesterol Treatment Trialists; GISSI-HF= Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Insufficienza Cardiaca Heart Failure; JUPITER = Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention; NYHA = New York Heart Association; PROSPER = Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk; SPARCL = Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels