People at low risk of heart disease who take statins are much less likely to need procedures like stents or bypass surgery to open blocked arteries.
Scientific Claim
Statin therapy reduces the risk of coronary revascularization procedures by 37–48% per 1.0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction in individuals with a 5-year vascular risk below 10%, indicating that statins prevent the need for invasive heart procedures even in low-risk populations.
Original Statement
“Coronary revascularisations (RR 0.52, 99% CI 0.35–0.75, and 0.63, 99% CI 0.51–0.79; both p<0.0001)...”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The RCT design and intention-to-treat analysis allow causal interpretation. The effect sizes are robust and statistically significant, justifying definitive language.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials
Even for people with a low risk of heart problems, taking statins to lower cholesterol reduced their chance of needing heart surgery by about one-third to nearly half — proving statins help prevent invasive procedures even in low-risk folks.