Hi everyone…I know this has been discussed many times, I’ve read posts mentioning that taking statins have only resulted in a 1% reduction in cardiovascular events, I’ve been searching but can’t find a reference to any study…does anyone know where this figure came from? I’d like to have this conversation with my GP as apparently he wants to discuss me taking statins, despite my overall cholesterol levels being 5.9, I’m UK so not sure how those numbers relate to what US members have quoted, but I know it’s not high!
Many thanks if anyone can help !
Statins
jules4
#1
ctviggen
(Bob M)
#2
The problem is that this is a complex set of circumstances. Consider the following:
Reduction in breast cancer mortality for women (40+) over a period of 10 years:
No mammography screening: 4 deaths per 1,000 women
With mammography screening: 3 deaths per 1,000 woman
Relative risk: from 4 deaths to 3 deaths, so 25%
Absolute risk: (4-3)/1,000 = 0.1 %, or if 1,000 women participate in screening for 10 years, one will be saved.
NNT (number needed to treat): (lower is better) 1,000 (1,000 women have to be treated for 10 years to save one life)
Increase in life expectancy: Women who participate in screening from the age of 50 to 69 increase their life expectancy by an average of 12 days.
NOTE: this is from pages 59-60 of:
What you are looking for is “actual risk” for statin treatment. That will be a challenge to find, mainly because there’s no benefit and only detriments for this number.
And – like all drugs – statins have many effects. Consider the following:
https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/category/cholesterol-statins/
Dr. Kendrick argues that LDL lowering by statins doesn’t provide the (purported) benefits of statins.
If my calculations are correct, your 5.9 is about 228 in US units. That’s for total cholesterol or LDL. Not sure which one you’re using.
The best thing you can do is get a coronary arterial calcification scan done. It’s the cheapest test and gives a relatively good (though not perfect) idea of calcification.
Arguing against statin use is going against what your doctor has been taught, and the nuances of the argument are such that it’ll take longer than you have.
jules4
#3
Thanks for this, I did manage to find out some other studies buried a bit deeper on here too…