The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new recommendations governing the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients 40 to 75 years old with no history of CVD and no signs or symptoms of it.

Based on a review of the evidence, USPSTF advises clinicians to prescribe a low-dose or moderate-dose statin to patients who have at least one risk factor for CVD—such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking—coupled with an estimated 10-year CVD risk reaching or exceeding 10% (ASCVD Risk Calculator).

For patients who have one or more CVD risk factors but whose 10-year CVD risk is 7.5% to 10%, the data suggest there is a small net benefit derived from statin use. The guidelines’ authors suggest that providers use their discretion to decide whether statin prescribing will benefit individual patients who match this profile. Meanwhile, the evidence was insufficient to gauge the benefits or harms for adults aged 76 years and older.

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