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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

New drug shows promise in preventing heart attacks
Conclusion This is a high-quality, well-conducted randomised controlled trial conducted in a very large number of people across multiple countries. To date, it's remained uncertain whether evolocumab reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. This study provides good evidence that the drug reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in people with high LDL cholesterol levels, and with a high risk of having a cardiovascular event, who are already taking statins. The follow-up is limited to around two years, during which roughly 1 in 10 people experienced a cardiovascular event. The reduction in risk was shown to inc...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 20, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

NICE publishes new draft guidelines on statins use
"Millions more people should be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs," BBC News reports. Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that the drugs should be given to people with an estimated 1 in 10 or more risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Statins are medicines that can help lower rates of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (so-called "bad" cholesterol) in the blood. High rates of LDL cholesterol can lead to hardening of the arteries, a risk factor for CVDs. At present,...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 12, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication QA articles Source Type: news

'More adults should be taking statins,' says NICE
Conclusion Despite somewhat hysterical media coverage to the contrary ("millions more to be given statins," according to the Daily Express), nobody will be forced to take statins. If your GP does recommend statins, you should ask them to explain the benefits and risks for you personally of starting statin treatment. You may want to find out more about statins before making up your mind – the NHS Choices Health A-Z information on statins is a good place to start. If you do experience troublesome side effects while taking statins, contact your GP or the doctor in charge of your care. It could be the case that a...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 18, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication QA articles Source Type: news

Statins side effects 'have been overstated,' says study
Conclusion This is a complex study that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in reports of adverse effects of statins in RCTs and observational studies, some of which have suggested as many as 1 in 5 people get side effects from statins. However, we need to be aware of some limitations and unanswered questions: When people knew they were taking statins, they were more likely to report muscle pain than those not taking statins. But they were less likely to report muscle pain than in the first phase of the study, when they didn't know whether they were taking statins or placebo. We don't know why this is. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Statins side effects 'have been overstated', says study
Conclusion This is a complex study that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in reports of adverse effects of statins in RCTs and observational studies, some of which have suggested as many as 1 in 5 people get side effects from statins. However, we need to be aware of some limitations and unanswered questions: When people knew they were taking statins, they were more likely to report muscle pain than those not taking statins. But they were less likely to report muscle pain than in the first phase of the study, when they didn't know whether they were taking statins or placebo. We don't know why this is. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

New drug 'effective' for those with intolerable statin side effects
Conclusion The main results of this study relate to the lipid-lowering effects of two alternative non-statin medications. However, it highlights the muscle-related adverse effects that can occur with statins. The study is carefully designed and has many strengths, including: a washout period between drugs to remove any residual effects double-blind design throughout so people didn't know what they were taking sufficient duration for each phase of the study (10 and 24 weeks) to allow effects to develop a good sample size – the researchers calculated beforehand how many people would need to be recruited to ena...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 4, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Older people Source Type: news