Statin therapy for primary prevention in men: What is the role for coronary artery calcium?

Statin therapy is widely prescribed for patients with established ASCVD (secondary prevention). Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) show conclusively that statins substantially reduce recurrent major ASCVD events (myocardial infarction and stroke)1. More problematic is use of statins for patients without ASCVD (primary prevention). RCTs clearly demonstrate that statins can lower ASCVD for primary prevention in patients at higher risk for future vascular events2-4; however, the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one ASCVD event is much higher for primary prevention than for secondary prevention.
Source: Journal of Clinical Lipidology - Category: Lipidology Authors: Source Type: research