Question

It is often claimed (and widely advertised) that statin medications (such as Lipitor, a cholesterol -lowering drug) reduce the risk of developing a heart disease by around a third (35%). What do you think this number means? What is the absolute risk of getting a heart disease in any given year?

1. State your opinion on the meaning of "reduction in risk by 35%" BEFORE searching the internet

2. What did you discover? Are there any potential side effects (per 100 people)? Are potential benefits greater than the potential risks?

Answer 1

1. Meaning of "reduction in risk by 35%" - When there is absolute chance of getting a heart disease is 100%, then statin medications help in reducing the chance to 65%. In other words, two persons having similar physical conditions and one of them them having statin medications, then the chance of getting heart disease in person, who is getting statin medications is 35% lesser in comparison to similar other person, with no statin medications.

2. From the facts, statin medications reduce the chances of being affected by heart disease in comparison to other person with no statin medications. Since, these drugs help reduce the level of cholesterol, heart diseases are less prone to develop as cholesterol level is one of the reasons for heart diseases. There are potential risks such as muscles pain, liver damage, increase blood sugar and neurological side effects. There should be controlled dose with proper prescription and health check ups.