A groundbreaking study is testing whether coronary artery calcium scoring can more accurately determine who needs statins. Researchers at Intermountain Health enrolled 5,600 patients to compare this method against traditional risk assessments. The study aims to reduce unnecessary statin prescriptions while protecting those truly at risk. Final results, including heart attack and stroke data, will be available in 2026.
March 31, 2025
Study decodes who actually needs statin medication to lower cholesterol
"Can we do a better job in
selecting people who need a statin...by using the coronary artery calcium
score?" – Jeffrey L. Anderson MD
Study decodes who actually needs
statin medication to lower cholesterol
A new study in the US aims to
determine the best method to screen and evaluate patients who are at risk of
developing coronary heart disease and which patients would benefit from taking
a statin medication to lower cholesterol.
Key Points
1 Coronary artery calcium scoring improves statin recommendations
2 Study tracks 5,600 patients over 4+ years
3 Statins carry costs and side effects like diabetes risk
4 Final results expected in 2026
A new approach by researchers at
Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City to determining risk and selecting a
statin is the use of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score which is
determined by taking a low-radiation dose image of the heart using computed
tomography (CT) to look for calcium deposits in plaques in the heart’s coronary
arteries.
“Our study is now fully enrolled
with over 5,600 patients, and in this abstract for the American College of
Cardiology, we wanted to look at baseline characteristics and differences in
statin prescribing recommendations,” said Jeffrey L. Anderson MD, principal
investigator of the study and distinguished clinical and cardiovascular
research physician at Intermountain Health.
“The question is: Can we do a
better job in selecting people who need a statin for primary coronary risk
reduction by using the coronary artery calcium score, rather than just putting
coronary risk factors into an equation – that is, is it more effective to use
direct imaging evidence of plaque burden or a risk probability. That’s what
we’re aiming to find out,” he said.
The new study was presented at
the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions meeting in
Chicago on Saturday.
The results of scoring by their
assigned risk assessment tool were sent in letters to their personal
physicians, including whether a statin was recommended based on a high-risk
score.
Patients in the two groups in the
study were found to have very similar baseline characteristics. However,
researchers found that the rate of statin medication recommendations were
different.
The study is expected to conclude
in early 2026, at which time a comparison of outcomes, including deaths, heart
attacks, strokes, and revascularisations during up to 7 years, and an average
of over 4 years, of follow-up will be made.
This is especially important
considering that statins entail costs and can have side effects, including
muscle aches and an increased risk of diabetes.
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