title: A Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER): Screening Experience and Baseline Characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND: PROSPER was designed to investigate the benefits of treatment with pravastatin in elderly patients for whom a typical doctor might consider the prescription of statin therapy to be a realistic option. METHODS: The PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) is a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to test the hypothesis that treatment with pravastatin (40 mg/day) will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or non-fatal stroke in elderly men and women with pre-existing vascular disease or with significant risk of developing this condition. RESULTS: In Scotland, Ireland, and the Netherlands, 23,770 individuals were screened, and 5,804 subjects (2,804 men and 3,000 women), aged 70 to 82 years (average 75 years) and with baseline cholesterol 4.0-9.0 mmol/l, were randomised. Randomised subjects had similar distributions with respect to age, blood pressure, and body mass index when compared to the entire group of screenees, but had a higher prevalence of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and a history of vascular disease. The average total cholesterol level at baseline was 5.4 mmol/l (men) and 6.0 mmol/l (women). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with previous prevention trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the PROSPER cohort is significantly older and for the first time includes a majority of women. The study, having achieved its initial goal of recruiting more than 5,500 elderly high-risk men and women, aims to complete all final subject follow-up visits in the first half of 2002 with the main results being available in the fourth quarter of 2002.
authors.affiliation: University of Glasgow, Scotland. ian@stats.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Gerard Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Blauw
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Stuart M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cobbe
authors.forename: Edward LEM
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Bollen
authors.forename: Brendan M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: J Wouter
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jukema
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hyland
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaw
authors.forename: A Margot
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lagaay
authors.forename: Ivan J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Macfarlane
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norrie
authors.forename: A Edo
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Meinders
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Chris J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Packard
authors.forename: Rudi GJ
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Westendorp
authors.forename: Cillian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stott