title: What the guidelines do not say: statin non-benefit groups.
abstract: The 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk identified four groups of adults (40-75 years of age) with significant evidence for benefit from statin therapy: presence of clinical ASCVD or diabetes, age ≥21 years and LDL-C >190 mg/dl, and 10-year risk of hard ASCVD events ≥7.5 % as determined by the new Cardiovascular Risk Calculator. However, clinicians are faced daily with at-risk patients who do not clearly match one of these statin-benefit groups. Understanding the limitations of available evidence and awareness of additional published guidelines for statin non-benefit groups will help practitioners make personalized decisions with patients and inform the clinician-patient discussion regarding potential risks and benefits of statin therapy.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, 25 Courtenay Drive, MSC 592, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA, morrispa@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Pamela B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Kellie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McLain
mesh_terms: D002309:Cardiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000592:standards*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors