[메디컬투데이TV] Statin treatment improves quality of life and reduces medical costs in people over 70 years of age.

[메디컬투데이=이승재 기자] Research results have shown that statin treatment improves quality of life and increases the effectiveness of medical cost management in people over 70 years old.

The results of a study examining the effect of statin treatment on quality of life and the effectiveness of medical cost management in people over 70 years of age were published in the Journal of Cardiology (Heart).

If your cholesterol level is high, you will usually be prescribed a statin. Star is a medication that lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the body, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Standard statin therapy is known to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 35 to 45%, and high-intensity statin therapy is known to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by more than 45%.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that statins be taken for adults aged 40 to 75 who have one or more cardiovascular disease risk factors and are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years. However, it is not clear whether taking statins has a significant effect in later age groups.

British researchers surveyed more than 20,000 British adults aged 70 and over to see if statins could help improve quality of life or manage medical costs more effectively.

Quality of life was measured using the concept of ‘Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY).’ A QALY is the additional survival time gained by a given treatment, taking into account quality of life.

The study found that people who received standard statin therapy had a QALY increase of 0.24 to 0.70 years, while those who received high-intensity statin therapy had a QALY increase of 0.04 to 0.13 years. Medical cost-effectiveness was measured by the cost needed to increase a QALY by one year.

The study found that with standard statin therapy, it took less than £3,502 (about $4,560) to gain a QALY by one year, and with high-intensity statin therapy, it took less than £11,778 (about $15,340 ) to gain a QALY by one year

The researchers explained that both standard statin therapy and high-intensity statin therapy are good value treatments, as treatment is assessed as ‘good value’ when the medical costs incurred to increase one QALY are a year less than 20,000 pounds.

Based on these findings, they concluded that statin therapy improves quality of life and effectively manages medical costs in people over 70 years old.

Medical Today Video Editing Team ([email protected])

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