Statin Drug for Cholesterol is Not Effective for Heart Disease Prevention in Elderly, Study Says

New study conducted by a team of scientists found that statin drug may not be effective for heart disease prevention in elderly. After reviewing some of the previous researches around high cholesterol levels and heart disease, the study found that there is no association between deaths of elderly (60 years old and above) from heart disease and bad cholesterol.

Sherif Sultan, vascular expert from University of Ireland who is a member of the research explains that cholesterol is an important element to prevent muscle pain, infection in elderly people. According to Sultan, statin drug given to elderly people is not effective for cardiovascular medication. The scientist suggests changing lifestyle would give more benefits to their health condition, Irish Examiner reported.

The study on heart disease prevention

Researchers collected studies from previous reports. There were 19 of the paper that involved more than 65,000 people. The stunning result is that there is no connection between the LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease in elderly age 60 and above. More than 90 percent of the participants who have high cholesterol levels, have similar life expectancy to those with low cholesterol levels, BMJ Open Journal reported.

Statin drug to lower down cholesterol levels may not be effective according to the new study

Cholesterol in elderly can prevent internal cerebral bleeds and premature cataracts. Hence, the cholesterol is needed and 'has to be nourished'. Statin drug has been used to lower down the cholesterol levels in patients because bad cholesterol is related to heart attacks and stroke. However, after the review found no relation on both, study suggests reconsidering the use of statin drug for heart disease prevention. Statin prescriptions which have been used for treating people with high cholesterol levels, should be reconsidered. According to the researchers, statin drug benefits 'have been exaggerated'.

The report is controversial given the many studies on high cholesterol levels often related to the use of statin drug to prevent heart disease risks.