NICE recommends statins should be a choice for more people to prevent heart attacks and strokes

Until now, NICE recommended that people with a 10 per cent or higher risk of having a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, over the next 10 years should be offered a statin. This guidance remains unchanged.  

 

The new draft guideline recommends statins can now be considered, as part of a shared decision-making process between a patient and their GP, for people who haven’t had a cardiovascular event and who have a 10-year risk of less than 10 per cent.

This comes after the independent committee updating the current guidance considered new evidence on the side effects and safety of statins.  

 

Although statins can sometimes cause side effects, such as muscle pain, evidence shows that most people don’t get muscle pains with statins. Research we funded, published last year, found that only one in 15 of reported cases of mild muscle pain or weakness were attributable to statins.  

The committee agreed that if more people took statins there would be a greater reduction in heart attacks and strokes. NICE estimates that under this new recommendation, on average, for every 1,000 people with a risk of five per cent over the next 10 years who take a statin, about 20 people will not get heart disease or have a stroke because they take a statin. This figure doubles to 40 for people with a risk of 10 per cent. For people with a risk of 20 percent NICE estimates that, on average, around 70 people would not get heart disease or have a stroke in the next 10 years.  

 

The draft guidance says that while people at lower risk can now be considered for statins, people at a higher risk should continue to be offered statins.   

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, our Medical Director, said:  "Heart attacks and strokes still kill more people prematurely than anything else, with high levels of cholesterol being a major risk factor.

"The recommendation today by NICE that statins, which lower cholesterol, should be considered for patients with a 5-10 per cent 10-year risk of these life-threatening conditions is good news as it will help to reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.  

 

“Research has shown that statins are largely safe. However, the decision to start this medication, which needs to be taken on a on a long-term basis, is very much a personal choice.

"The decision should be based on a conversation with your GP, and should be combined with other measures such as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly to get the most benefit."