Treating elderly heart disease patients with high doses of cholesterol-lowering Lipitor (known generically as atorvastatin) reduces their risk of heart-related events more than lower doses do, according to a new study.

The possibility of suffering a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest was 19% lower in elderly patients treated with high-dose atorvastatin, compared to those given a low-dose treatment, say researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Nearly 4,000 study participants aged 65 and older participated in the study. Results appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine.