USPSTF and ACC/American Heart Association Guidelines Significantly Differ on Statin Use Recommendations

April 26, 2017 | Strategic Insights for Health System

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​Researchers have compared the differences in prescribing statin therapy to patients under U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations versus the 2013 American College of Cardiologists (ACC)/American Heart Association Guidelines. The authors found that about 9 million fewer individuals would be eligible for statin therapy if the USPSTF recommendations were applied, according to an April 18, 2017, original investigation in JAMA. Younger adults with high mean long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and patients with diabetes accounted for much of the gap, the authors said. The 2013 ACC/American Heart Association guidelines recommend statins for people age 40 to 75 with at least 7.5% chance of heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. The USPSTF endorses statins for that age range if the risk is 10% or greater and with the presence of at least one CVD risk factor (see HRC Alerts, November 30, 2016).

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