Statin treatment was not associated with a reduction in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) or in all-cause mortality in patients aged >74 years without type 2 diabetes (T2D), a recent study found. The retrospective cohort included 46,864 people aged ≥75 years without clinically recognized atherosclerotic CVD. Participants were stratified by presence of T2D and as statin non-users or new users. Researchers found:

• Statins were not associated with a reduction in atherosclerotic CVD or all-cause mortality in primary prevention in participants without diabetes aged >74 years independently of age subgroup.
• In the presence of diabetes, however, statin use was statistically significantly associated with reductions in the incidence of atherosclerotic CVD and in all-cause mortality.
• This effect decreased after age 85 years and disappeared in nonagenarians.