Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Study Reconsiders Statin Therapy for Patients in Palliative Care Setting
Clinical Breakthroughs

Study Reconsiders Statin Therapy for Patients in Palliative Care Setting

By Sarah PlumridgeSep 4, 2015
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Ogunseitan, Adeboye
Adeboye Ogunseitan, MD, assistant professor of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Medicine, co-authored a study that suggests stopping statin therapy is safe and may be beneficial by improving quality of life in patients approaching the end of life.

A new study co-authored by Northwestern Medicine scientists found that discontinuing statin therapy for patients in palliative care settings was not only safe, but also benefited patients’ quality of life, increased satisfaction with care and reduced medication costs.

“As patients approach the end of life, they usually get more medications and that increase often exacts a toll on their bodies, becomes harder to track and increases the risk of side effects and complications,” said Adeboye Ogunseitan, MD, assistant professor of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Medicine and co-author of the paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine. “Physicians know that it is beneficial to discontinue medications that are no longer necessary, but it is unclear which medicines should be discontinued as well as timing and safety.”

Dr. Ogunseitan was the primary investigator for the Northwestern site, one of 15 sites nationwide. The study enrolled a total of 381 participants, who were randomized to either discontinue statins or continue therapy. Eligible participants had been receiving a statin for three months or longer for prevention of cardiovascular disease and had a documented diagnosis of advanced, life-limiting disease.

Participants in the study were generally older, white and receiving Medicare, with more than half having cardiovascular disease as their primary diagnosis.

They focused on a 60-day mortality as the primary outcome and found the number of participants who died within 60 days was not significantly different between the two groups. There was also no significant difference in the time before the first cardiovascular event between the two groups. Participants remained in the study until death, one year after enrollment or study closure.

The study concluded that stopping statin therapy in patients with limited life expectancy is safe and may be beneficial by improving quality of life and reducing overall medication costs. The authors note that additional research exploring the use of other medications in populations with limited life expectancies is also needed.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research and the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Patient Care Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Mar 29, 2023

Adolescent Sexual Health Program Receives Funding for Social Marketing Campaign

Mar 29, 2023

The Future of IgE-Mediated Allergy Research and Treatments

Mar 29, 2023

Investigating Protein’s Role in Hearing Loss

Mar 27, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Adolescent Sexual Health Program Receives Funding for Social Marketing Campaign

Mar 29, 2023

The Future of IgE-Mediated Allergy Research and Treatments

Mar 29, 2023

Weintraub Appointed to Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law

Mar 28, 2023

Investigating Protein’s Role in Hearing Loss

Mar 27, 2023

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20230317_NM651
20230317_NM610
20230317_NM569
20230317_NM537
20230317_NM331
20230317_NM323
20230317_NM316
20230317_NM336
20230317_NM626
20230317_NM662
20230317_NM655
20230317_NM642

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.