Alot of people take statins. I do—and I’m grateful, because my cholesterol is in a healthy range.
But a simple, low-cost CT scan might reveal I don’t actually need the medication. That could be true for you, too.
A new study happening in Utah is exploring how a coronary calcium score—a scan that detects plaque in the arteries—might help determine who really needs statins. The research could someday cut the number of people on statins in half.
Dr. Jeffrey Anderson is leading the study at Intermountain Health’s Allcap Clinic.
“It stands for Advanced Lipid and Coronary Artery Prevention, so we want to prevent heart attacks and strokes,” Anderson said.
The research aims to answer a fundamental question: Who actually benefits from statins?
“We're trying to understand better who needs statins and who does it help and who doesn't,” he said.
Most people are prescribed statins based on a risk analysis—essentially a checklist. Do you have high blood pressure? Are you a smoker? Do you have high cholesterol, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease? If you check enough boxes, your doctor may recommend statins.
“But the other way, instead of what we call this probabilistic way—you know, the higher or lower probability—is to actually look and see if you have disease in your arteries with this low-radiation CT scan of the chest that picks up little flecks of calcium in the arteries that mark plaques,” Anderson said.
In other words, the scan gives doctors a direct view of what’s actually happening inside your arteries.
But here’s the catch: the calcium score and the traditional risk-factor method don’t always match up.
“If you look at anatomic base by coronary calcium, it’s only about 25% of the people that we screened here,” Anderson said. “If you use the risk factor equation, it’s 50%. And you can even go to 75%. So many fewer—not more—got a recommendation because many people don’t have that much in the way of plaques.”
Statins are generally safe, effective, and inexpensive. That’s why Anderson stresses that this isn’t about making sudden changes.
“I don’t think anybody should change what they’re doing right now,” he said. “This study, you know, is ongoing. We don’t know which side is the best, and the doctors, you know, and patients factor in other things that are important.”
The scan also brings something new to the table. It doesn’t just flag fewer patients for statins—it often flags different patients.
That means people who don’t meet traditional risk criteria might still be building up dangerous plaque in their arteries.
“So, we get different answers in a high percentage of people by using one versus the other,” Anderson said. “So it’s important for us to actually test that scientifically and see which is the best way.”
It’s that group—people with no obvious warning signs—who might benefit most from this research. We’ve all heard the stories: someone has a heart attack out of the blue, with no history or risk factors. For some of them, a coronary calcium scan might serve as the early warning system they never knew they needed.
For more information about cardiac imaging services, please visit intermountainhealthcare.org.
