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Statins are 'safe, effective and should be used more widely'
Conclusion This study reviews evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to better evaluate the effects and safety of statin therapy. It provides valuable data on the size of the benefits compared with the risks, informing a topic that has had much media coverage in recent times. The researchers highlight that the benefits of statin therapy for people at risk of cardiovascular disease events far outweigh any possible side effects. But it is still for a doctor and their patient to come to a conclusion about what the best treatment for them may be. If you have been prescribed a statin, it...
Source: NHS News Feed - September 9, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Risk-benefit profile of statin therapy 'may be more positive than expected'
This study showed that providing an effective low-cost statin therapy to 10,000 patients for five years would prevent major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery bypasses in 1,000 people with preexisting vascular disease, as well as 500 people who are at increased risk but have not yet had a vascular event. By contrast, only 50 to 100 cases of symptomatic adverse events would be expected over the same period, as well as 50 to 100 new cases of diabetes, five cases of myopathy and between five and ten haemorrhagic strokes. Should statins be more widely used? Currently, about six million peo...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - September 8, 2016 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Fruit may be good for you, but don’t ditch the statins
Conclusion The study adds to evidence that fresh fruit is likely to be good for our cardiovascular health, although we can't be sure from this study that it definitely prevents deaths, heart attacks or strokes. Observational studies cannot prove that one factor causes another, even when they are as big as this study, because other unmeasured factors could be responsible for the results. In this case, a major potential confounder that the researchers failed to take into account was whether the participants were taking any medication – they only excluded people taking blood pressure tablets. The link with statins, made by ...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Source Type: news