Statins and all-cause mortality in high-risk primary prevention: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 65,229 participants.
BACKGROUND
Statins have been shown to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality among individuals with clinical history of coronary heart disease. However, it remains uncertain whether statins have similar mortality benefit in a high-risk primary prevention setting. Notably, all systematic reviews to date included trials that in part incorporated participants with prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline. Our objective was to reliably determine if statin therapy reduces all-cause mortality among intermediate to high-risk individuals without a history of CVD.


METHODS
Trials were identified through computerized literature searches of MEDLINE and Cochrane databases (January 1970-May 2009) using terms related to statins, clinical trials, and cardiovascular end points and through bibliographies of retrieved studies.


METHODS
Prospective, randomized controlled trials of statin therapy performed in individuals free from CVD at baseline and that reported details, or could supply data, on all-cause mortality.


METHODS
Relevant data including the number of patients randomized, mean duration of follow-up, and the number of incident deaths were obtained from the principal publication or by correspondence with the investigators.


RESULTS
Data were combined from 11 studies and effect estimates were pooled using a random-effects model meta-analysis, with heterogeneity assessed with the I(2) statistic. Data were available on 65,229 participants followed for approximately 244,000 person-years, during which 2793 deaths occurred. The use of statins in this high-risk primary prevention setting was not associated with a statistically significant reduction (risk ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-1.01) in the risk of all-cause mortality. There was no statistical evidence of heterogeneity among studies (I(2) = 23%; 95% confidence interval, 0%-61% [P = .23]).


CONCLUSIONS
This literature-based meta-analysis did not find evidence for the benefit of statin therapy on all-cause mortality in a high-risk primary prevention set-up.
Ray
Kausik K
KK
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. koshray@gmail.com
Seshasai
Sreenivasa Rao Kondapally
SR
Erqou
Sebhat
S
Sever
Peter
P
Jukema
J Wouter
JW
Ford
Ian
I
Sattar
Naveed
N
D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors