Open AccessFormal comment on “Systematic review of the predictors of statin adherence for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease”
Author(s) -
David M. Diamond,
Michel de Lorgeril,
Malcolm Kendrick,
Uffe Ravnskov,
Paul Rösch
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0205138
Subject(s) - medicine , statin , primary prevention , intensive care medicine , disease , alternative medicine , medline , adverse effect , family medicine , physical therapy , pathology , political science , law
Statins have been prescribed for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for nearly 3 decades. Throughout this period key opinion leaders in the field have been dismayed by the high rate of non-adherence of patients to follow their statin regimen. Hope et al., [ 1 ] have addressed this issue by providing a systematic review of research on predictors of statin adherence for primary prevention of CVD. However, their review does not address the ongoing debate as to whether statin treatment is warranted for primary prevention of CVD, nor does it adequately address concerns regarding adverse effects of statins. We have therefore written a commentary which provides a broader perspective on the benefits versus harms of statin therapy. Our perspective of the literature is that non-adherence to statin treatment for primary prevention of CVD is justified because the meager benefits are more than offset by the extensive harms.