New Clinical Challenges for Health Providers in the Prescription of Statins in the Elderly

In 2020, the US population was 331 million; 55.8 million (16.9%) of those were aged 65 and over, and 22.8 million (6.9%) were aged 75 and over, a growth rate 5 times faster than the rest of the population.1 In the United States, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of premature death in men over 45 and women over 65 and stroke is third.2 Morbidity from these diseases includes increasing disability and loss of independence, all important priorities for healthcare providers to the expanding elderly population.1. During the past half century, the United States has experienced remarkable improvements in mortality, mainly due to reductions in coronary heart disease. This is due, in part, to efforts of healthcare providers to encourage therapeutic lifestyle changes and adjunctive therapies of proven benefit.2