# STREAM trial: stopping statins at 70+ meant one extra cardiac event per 40 people over two years

- Published: 2026-11-08 06:05 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: statin discontinuation, STREAM trial, adults over 70, LDL cholesterol, cardiovascular events, University of California, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Healthy Longevity, frailty, non-inferiority
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-9ece5e60a4fd7c0d9e21c6d5_stream_trial_stopping/

**In a trial of 1,880 adults aged 70+ without cardiovascular disease, stopping statins met the non-inferiority margin on event-free survival, yet the composite event rate was higher.**

![STREAM trial: stopping statins at 70+ meant one extra cardiac event per 40 people over two years](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/b5af17e24467a5ed.webp)
*lomazoma.com*

According to lomazoma.com, the STREAM trial results, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, test whether stopping statin therapy is non-inferior in adults aged 70 and older. Researchers from the University of California enrolled 1,880 participants with a mean age of 77. All had at least two chronic conditions and no known cardiovascular disease. [1]

At 24 centres in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, 938 people stopped statins and 942 continued. The crossover rate was about 14 percent. [1]

## Primary endpoint and cardiovascular events

After two years, discontinuation was statistically non-inferior on the primary endpoint. Mean event-free survival was 96.5 weeks in the discontinuation group and 98.5 weeks in the continuation group. The 2.0-week difference lay within the prespecified margin of 5.2 weeks. [1]

At 12 months, LDL cholesterol was 176 mg/dl after discontinuation and 100 mg/dl with continued therapy. The groups did not differ in quality of life, muscle pain, falls or sarcopenia. [1]

With a mean follow-up of 103 weeks, the composite of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and death occurred in 12.7 percent of those who stopped and 9.2 percent of those who continued (risk ratio 1.38). That is 119 events versus 87. Mortality was 9.8 percent versus 8 percent. By the report's calculation, this equals one additional cardiovascular event per 40 people who stopped over two years. Serious adverse events affected 43 percent and 39.8 percent respectively. [1]

Study lead Rita Redberg of the University of California said no general recommendation to stop can be made and that a shared decision process is needed. Naveed Sattar of the University of Glasgow, who was not involved, said the absolute additional risk is small but real. [1]

## Observational data from Oxford

The report adds an Oxford observational study in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, which does not prove causality. It used CPRD data from 1998 to 2021 and compared 65,727 people aged 65+ who stopped statins with 131,453 who continued (mean age 75.9, mean follow-up 4.1 years). [1]

Within one year, the subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR) for hospital admission was 1.22, with 37.6 additional admissions per 1,000 people. In year five the sHR was 1.11. [1]

The association varied with frailty: sHR 1.30 in robust people, 1.22 in mild and 1.16 in moderate frailty. There was no significant difference in severe frailty (1.03) or dementia (1.05). In nursing-home residents, discontinuation was linked to an sHR of 0.76 and 68.8 fewer admissions. [1]

## Sources

1. [lomazoma.com](https://lomazoma.com/statintherapie-ab-70-ein-zusaetzliches-kardiales-ereignis-pro-40-entzuege)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-9ece5e60a4fd7c0d9e21c6d5_stream_trial_stopping/