# US expands statin eligibility under new guidelines > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-cardiovascular-guideline-expansion > Updated: 2026-08-03T06:00:21.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 3. In late July 2026 the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association issued primary‑prevention updates that lowered risk thresholds for dyslipidemia and hypertension. The dyslipidemia guidance introduced the PREVENT risk calculator and added roughly 21.5 million adults aged 30‑79 to statin eligibility, while the hypertension update applied the same model to expand blood‑pressure drug coverage to about 22‑23 million adults. A follow‑up report on 3 August 2026 clarified that the cholesterol guideline now lowers the minimum prescribing age from 40 to 30, bringing total statin‑eligible adults to an estimated 87.5 million. The expansion is driven by internal‑medicine researcher Timothy Anderson and endorsed by the American Heart Association and related societies. The report also cited a JAMA analysis showing elevated LDL‑C caused 3.6 million deaths in 2023, underscoring the global health impact of the U.S. policy shift. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-03: United States expands statin eligibility to 87.5 million adults under new cholesterol guidelines US 2026 cholesterol guideline lowers statin age to 30, expanding eligibility to 87.5 million adults; global study links high LDL‑C to 3.6 million deaths in 2023, especially in India and China. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/united-states-expands-statin-eligibility-to-adults-30-and-older ### 2026-07-29: US Adults Eligible for New Blood Pressure Drugs, Many Remain Untreated New AHA/ACC guidelines make 22‑23 million US adults eligible for blood‑pressure drugs, but 43% remain untreated, potentially costing up to 200,000 lives over ten years. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-adults-eligible-for-new-blood-pressure-drugs-many-remain-untreated ### 2026-07-27: US Expands Statin Eligibility to 21.5 Million Adults in New ACC/AHA Guidelines 2026 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines lower risk thresholds, expanding statin eligibility to 87.5 million U.S. adults and adding 21.5 million new candidates, mainly younger low‑risk individuals. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-expands-statin-eligibility-to-215-million-adults-in-new-accaha-guidelines --- Cite as: US expands statin eligibility under new guidelines. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-cardiovascular-guideline-expansion