Study: High-Intensity Statins Improve Survival Rates in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Use of high-intensity statins increased chance of survival in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), according to the results of a recent study.

High-intensity statin use is recommended as secondary prevention of ASCVD, but statin therapy is underused in patients with established ASCVD, according to researchers.
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In order to determine the association between all-cause mortality and intensity of statin therapy, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged 21 to 84 with ASCVD treated from 2013 to 2014. Those included in the analysis had 1 or more International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for ASCVD on 2 or more different dates in the prior 2 years.

The researchers used the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines to define intensity of statin therapy.

Overall, 509,766 participants with ASCVD were included. Of these, 150,928 were receiving high-intensity statin therapy, 232,293 were receiving moderate-intensity therapy, 33,920 were receiving low-intensity therapy, and 92,625 were receiving no statins.

Over a follow-up of 492 days, researchers observed a graded association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality, with 1-year mortality rates of 4% for those receiving high-intensity therapy, 4.8% for those receiving moderate-intensity therapy, 5.7% for those receiving low-intensity therapy, and 6.6% for those not receiving statins.

“We found a graded association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality in a national sample of patients with ASCVD. High-intensity statins were associated with a small but significant survival advantage compared with moderate-intensity statins, even among older adults. Maximal doses of high-intensity statins were associated with a further survival benefit.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:
Rodriguez F, Maron DJ, Knowles JW, et al. Association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [published online November 9, 2016]. JAMA Cardiol. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2016.4052.