As with all change, it is going to take some time to figure out if this is mostly good or mostly bad.
From NEJM:
Using this new approach, the expert panel identified four subgroups of patients for whom the benefit of statins clearly outweighs the risk
These groups are patients with –
1. clinically evident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,
2. primary low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of at least 190 mg per deciliter,
3. type 1 or type 2 diabetes and an LDL cholesterol level of 70 mg per deciliter or higher, or
4. a 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease of at least 7.5%, according to the new, publicly available, pooled cohort equations,3 and an LDL cholesterol level of at least 70 mg per deciliter.
The article goes on to say –
An important caveat regarding the new guidelines is that they also identify patients for whom available data do not support statin therapy and for whom no recommendation is made. These groups are patients with
1. an age of more than 75 years, unless clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is present;
2. a need for hemodialysis; or
3. New York Heart Association class II, III, or IV heart failure.