title: Is a statin as part of a polypill the answer?
abstract: Statins are a necessary component of a polypill. Almost all patients have the potential to benefit from low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction with statins, although absolute benefits due to the reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke vary by risk level. The reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke from antihypertensive therapy is additive to the reduction in risk from statins. Used in combination with antihypertensive therapy, a moderate-dose statin would be expected to reduce cardiovascular risk by at least 50%, and a high-dose statin would be expected to reduce risk by at least 60% over an approximately 5-year period. A polypill containing aspirin in addition to a statin and antihypertensive therapy would be appropriate for most men over age 55 years, but not for high-risk women until age 65 years and moderately high-risk women until age 75 years. Polypills in development hold great promise for reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Lipid Research Clinic, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. jennifer-g-robinson@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055118:Medication Adherence; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004338:Drug Combinations; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D001241:Aspirin