Stopping statins at age 75 shows no rise in mortality for low-risk seniors

In a French randomized trial, 1,160 patients with an average age of 80 who had been prescribed statins for at least five years were split into two arms: one stopped the drugs, the other kept taking them. LDL cholesterol rose about 50% in the discontinuation group after three months, yet after three years mortality was 7.2% (35 of 484) versus 7.9% (48 of 604) in the continuation group, a non-significant difference, and major cardiovascular events and quality-of-life measures remained similar.

Co-author Fabrice Bonnet emphasized that the findings pertain to a specific, low-risk population and need confirmation in longer studies and higher-risk groups. Experts such as Romit Bhattacharya noted the data give clinicians more flexibility for patients with limited life expectancy, while Donald Lloyd-Jones warned against broad application. The trial contrasts with earlier observational studies that suggested higher risk after stopping statins, highlighting the advantage of random assignment in reducing bias.