Heart Health News

Statins curb major cardiovascular events in seniors but leave disability-free years unchanged

In the STAREE trial, 9,971 Australians aged 70+ without prior cardiovascular disease or dementia were randomized to atorvastatin 40 mg daily or placebo. Over a median 5.9 years, atorvastatin reduced major cardiovascular events by 30% (6.0% vs 8.3%; HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61-0.82) but did not significantly improve disability-free survival, suggesting statins lower event risk in older adults without known CVD but may not extend healthy years.