Statin use skyrockets, yet little change in those with CVD

The new annual report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Center for Health Statistics paints a mixed picture in terms of cardiovascular health: heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US, prevalence rates have remained steady from 1999 to 2009, and only age-adjusted death rates from heart disease declined by 28% from 1999 to 2007.

Over the same period, the use of statins in most age demographics went up 10-fold. Statins are usually promoted as a first-line therapy preventive. Where is the prevention if the prevalence rates have remained unchanged? While the CDC does not explain the reasons for the decline in deaths from heart disease, researchers postulate that better life-saving measures and day-to-day monitoring of high-risk individuals have much to do with it.