4 Statin Benefit Groups:
1. Individuals with clinical ASCVD
2. Individuals with primary elevations of LDL–C ≥190 mg/dL
3. Individuals 40 to 75 years of age with diabetes and LDL–C 70 to189 mg/dL without clinical
ASCVD
4. Individuals without clinical ASCVD or diabetes who are 40 to 75 years of age with LDL–C 70
to 189 mg/dL and have an estimated 10-year ASCVD risk of 7.5% or higher.
Individuals in the last group can be identified by using the Pooled Cohort Equations for ASCVD
risk prediction developed by the Risk Assessment Work Group. Lifestyle counseling should occur at the
initial and follow-up visits as the foundation for statin therapy and may improve the overall risk factor
profile
Most importantly, our focus is on those individuals most likely to benefit from evidence-based
statin therapy to reduce ASCVD risk. Implementation of these ASCVD risk reduction guidelines will help
to substantially address the large burden of fatal and nonfatal ASCVD in the United States. We realize that
these guidelines represent a change from previous guidelines. But clinicians have become accustomed to
change when that change is consistent with the current evidence. Continued accumulation of high-quality
trial data will inform future cholesterol treatment guidelines.