International audienceStatin prescription in persons older than 75 years or with frailty signs ă raises questions on the role of cholesterol in the genesis of ă atherosclerosis in this population, on the benefit of this treatment in ă primary or secondary prevention, and on their side effects in a context ă of multiple pathology and multiple medications. These questions are ă approached with the available literature data for this population. In ă secondary prevention, statin prescription is recommended whatever the ă age although intensive treatment should be avoided. In primary ă prevention, in the absence of consensus, their prescription depends on ă both geriatric and cardiovascular risk assessment. (C) 2016 Societe ă Nationale Francaise de Medecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier ă Masson SAS. All rights reserved