There are always controversies in medicine.

It is one thing to:

(a) Prescribe medication to treat a diagnosed condition

But it is quite another to:

(b) Prescribe the same medication to “treat” populations of millions who are healthy by attempting to prevent a disease occurring in a proportion of that population at some time in the future.

In group (b) high numbers of the population “treated” will never develop the disease concerned or if the do will not die from it. Some of those individuals who do not benefit will suffer other harm due to side effects from the medication, some of them serious.

Today, the focus is on statins, which are used all over the world to reduce high blood cholesterol.

A Cochrane Review today reports the following:

STATINS FOR THE PRIMARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

“Although reductions in all-cause mortality, composite endpoints and revascularisations were found with no excess of adverse events, there was evidence of selective reporting of outcomes, failure to report adverse events and inclusion of people with cardiovascular disease. Only limited evidence showed that primary prevention with statins may be cost effective and improve patient quality of life. Caution should be taken in prescribing statins for primary prevention among people at low cardiovascular risk.”

In The Telegraph, a UK newspaper their report on the Cochrane Review on statins has caused quite a stir and at the time of writing this had attracted over 200 comments.

MILLIONS TAKING STATINS NEEDLESSLY

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