STAREE-HEART is a sub-study nested in the Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly (STAREE) double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial. STAREE is investigating whether statins can prolong good health and maintain independence amongst older people and is enrolling men and women 70 years of age and over who are free from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia. STAREE-HEART will recruit a subset of 1000 STAREE participants before they are randomised to STAREE study drug. STAREE-HEART will involve an additional suite of cardiac assessments in these participants and will provide detailed information about the clinical effect of statins on incidence of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
The STAREE-HEART sub-study will examine the effect of statin treatment over a 3-year period compared with placebo on markers of cardiac ageing. This will include determining global longitudinal strain with transthoracic echocardiography, atrial fibrillation with home measures twice daily for two weeks and changes in biomarkers.