STATINS IN WOMEN
ANCHOR LEAD: TOO FEW WOMEN ARE RECEIVING STATIN MEDICATIONS, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
Statin drugs are largely a success story in reducing one’s risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes. But there are some populations in whom they may be underutilized, including women. Erin Michos, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins, says that’s one conclusion from a recent subanalysis from the JUPITER trial, a very large study looking at statin use in people with elevated C-reactive protein levels.
MICHOS: I think C-reactive protein may be useful for those who don’t meet the criteria, so older women, who may not have any of these other vascular risk factors, or perhaps they have a family history, where the decision to treat is unclear because they don’t have high cholesterol, but maybe they have a strong family history. In fact in this Jupiter subanalysis women who had a family history of heart disease seemed to benefit a little bit more with statin treatment using the Jupiter strategy than women without a family history. :27
So women should have a thorough discussion about statin use with their doctor. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.
