Background: Guidelines for statin use currently focus on patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein levels. Recent findings from the Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER), however, indicate that statin therapy to reduce cardiovascular risk is also effective among older persons with at-goal low-density lipoprotein but elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. We estimate the size of and describe this new population for whom statin therapy may now be indicated based on JUPITER's findings.
Methods and results: Using data from the 1999 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we estimate that 57.9% of older adults (men >or=50 years and women >or=60 years), or 33,547 000 (95% CI, 32,217,000 to 34,877,000) Americans, are currently taking a statin (24.4%) or indicated for statin therapy (33.5%). In addition, we estimate that 19.2%, or 11 144 000 (95% CI, 10 053 000 to 12 235 000), may become newly eligible for statin therapy. This includes 8 071 000 (13.9%; 95% CI, 7 173 000 to 8 969 000) with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein >or=2 mg/L and low-density lipoprotein <130 mg/dL (ie, those meeting "strict" JUPITER criteria) and an additional 3,073,000 (5.3%; 95% CI, 2,404,000 to 3,743,000) with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein >or=2 mg/L and low-density lipoprotein of 130 to 160 mg/dL for whom JUPITER's findings might reasonably be extended. Thus, approximately 80% of older persons may now have an indication for statin therapy. Compared with those who would continue to have no indication for statin therapy, the JUPITER group was more likely to be female, to be older, and to have obesity, hypertension, and the metabolic syndrome.
Conclusions: JUPITER's findings have the potential to impact treatment recommendations for approximately 20% of middle-aged to elderly adults, thus increasing the proportion of this segment of the population with an indication for statin therapy to nearly 80%.