Source: BBC Health News
According to a comprehensive review of previous studies on statins (cholesterol lowering drugs), healthy people may derive no benefit from taking statins. The report, published in The Cochrane Library, did ultimately conclude that statins reduced death rates. However, it found no evidence to justify their use in people at low risk of developing heart disease.
The British Heart Foundation said the benefits of prescribing statins for those people was unclear. Millions of people in the UK and the US take statins. Statins are presumed tocut the risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends statins for people who have a 20% or greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease within ten years.
Previous studies have suggested that statins may benefit healthy patients or those with low risk factors for heart attack or stroke. However, the drugs have also been linked to a range of side effects including liver problems, kidney failure and muscle weakness. The latest study reviewed the evidence from 14 prior clinical trials and found that there was insufficient evidence that statins should be taken by those not in at risk groups. Fiona Taylor, from the Cochrane Heart Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said, “This review highlights important shortcomings in our knowledge about the effects of statins in people who have no previous history of cardiovascular disease. The decision to prescribe statins in this group should not be taken lightly.”
Amy Thompson, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, commented, “This systematic review echoes what we already know – that statins have huge benefits for people with heart and circulatory disease, or those who are high risk as they help to reduce the risk of heart disease including heart attacks.” She added, “It is still unclear whether statins provide any real benefits for people without heart and circulatory disease and who are at low risk of developing it” and “There is little to suggest that statins should be prescribed routinely for these people. However, it is good practice for health professionals to consider each person individually.”
~Posted by D.M. Schwadron, Esquire