Interpretation of the evidence for the efficacy and safety of statin therapy

Publication date: Available online 8 September 2016 Source:The Lancet Author(s): Rory Collins, Christina Reith, Jonathan Emberson, Jane Armitage, Colin Baigent, Lisa Blackwell, Roger Blumenthal, John Danesh, George Davey Smith, David DeMets, Stephen Evans, Malcolm Law, Stephen MacMahon, Seth Martin, Bruce Neal, Neil Poulter, David Preiss, Paul Ridker, Ian Roberts, Anthony Rodgers, Peter Sandercock, Kenneth Schulz, Peter Sever, John Simes, Liam Smeeth, Nicholas Wald, Salim Yusuf, Richard Peto This Review is intended to help clinicians, patients, and the public make informed decisions about statin therapy for the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. It explains how the evidence that is available from randomised controlled trials yields reliable information about both the efficacy and safety of statin therapy. In addition, it discusses how claims that statins commonly cause adverse effects reflect a failure to recognise the limitations of other sources of evidence about the effects of treatment. Large-scale evidence from randomised trials shows that statin therapy reduces the risk of major vascular events (ie, coronary deaths or myocardial infarctions, strokes, and coronary revascularisation procedures) by about one-quarter for each mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol during each year (after the first) that it continues to be taken. The absolute benefits of statin therapy depend on an individual's absolute risk of occlusive vascular events and t...
Source: The Lancet - Category: Journals (General) Source Type: research