Results of Lipid-Lowering Trials in the Elderly and a Look to the Future.

Overview

A lack of clinical research in the elderly hampers the creation of specific therapeutic regimens to treat dyslipidemia in this group. However, extrapolation of data from studies in middle-aged men may be appropriate since the mechanisms of atherogenesis do not appear to change significantly with advancing age. The results of the secondary prevention Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (in which 52% of the patient population was 60 years of age or older) and the primary prevention West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (in which the mean age of the patient population was older than those of other primary prevention trials) suggest the benefit of lipid-lowering in older populations. More clinical trials that include elderly subjects are needed to evaluate fully the efficacy of lipid-regulating therapy in older patients.