Abstract MP43: The Population Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults 75 and Older in the United States
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Abstract
Introduction: Several investigations have evaluated the cost effectiveness of a low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol “threshold” treatment strategy compared with a “risk-based” strategy based on a person’s 10-year risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). No studies to date have focused on adults 75 years and older.
Methods: Based on the Cardiovascular Disease Policy Model, a Markov model of the U.S. population, we forecasted the population impact of statin therapy over 10 years in adults aged 75-94 years. We compared two strategies for statin therapy in adults 75-94 years free of prevalent CHD and stroke: 1) treatment in anyone with LDL cholesterol >100 mg/dL in diabetics, and >130 mg/dL in non-diabetics, and 2) high intensity statins for persons with a 10-year CHD risk of >20% and low intensity statin for persons with a risk of 10-20%, independent of LDL cholesterol level. We assumed the use of low-cost statins ($4 per month), 100% adherence, 3% discounting/year, and costs from a healthcare perspective.
Results: The threshold strategy would treat an additional 50 million elders and prevent 99,000 incident myocardial infarctions and 55,000 CHD deaths at a cost of $ 1.4 billion, whereas the risk-based strategy would treat 103 million and prevent 143,000 incident myocardial infarctions and 97,000 CHD deaths at a cost of $ 7.8 billion. The threshold strategy is more cost-effective than the risk-based strategy ($4,300 vs. $18,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained).
Conclusions: A risk-based strategy prevents more events compared with a threshold strategy due to the large proportion of older adults who have high 10-year CHD risk scores, but is less efficient than a threshold strategy in adults 75 years and older.

Author Disclosures: M.C. Odden: None. P. Coxson: None. D. Thekkethala: None. M. Pletcher: None. K. Bibbins-Domingo: None.
This research has received full or partial funding support from the American Heart Association, Western States Affiliate (California, Nevada & Utah).
- © 2014 by American Heart Association, Inc.
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- Abstract MP43: The Population Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults 75 and Older in the United StatesMichelle C Odden, Pamela Coxson, Divya Thekkethala, Mark Pletcher and Kirsten Bibbins-DomingoCirculation. 2014;129:AMP43, originally published March 19, 2014
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