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SPORTS MEDICINE :
MEDICAL: GUIDELINES: CHOLESTEROL :
MEDICAL: PHARMACY PHARMACEUTICAL PHARMACOLOGY: DRUG: STATINS:
Don't Give More Patients Statins
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Don't Give More Patients Statins
By JOHN D. ABRAMSON and RITA F. REDBERG
Published: November 13, 2013
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/
opinion/dont-give-more-patients-statins.html
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A shorter URL for the above link:
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http://tinyurl.com/n8ahap7
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ON Tuesday, the American Heart Association and the American College of
Cardiology issued new cholesterol guidelines that essentially declared, in
one fell swoop, that millions of healthy Americans should immediately
start taking pills - namely statins - for undefined health "benefits."
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This announcement is not a result of a sudden epidemic of heart disease,
nor is it based on new data showing the benefits of lower cholesterol.
Instead, it is a consequence of simply expanding the definition of who
should take the drugs - a decision that will benefit the pharmaceutical
industry more than anyone else.
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snip
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This may sound like good news for patients, and it would be - if statins
actually offered meaningful protection from our No. 1 killer, heart
disease; if they helped people live longer or better; and if they had
minimal adverse side effects. However, none of these are the case.
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Statins are effective for people with known heart disease. But for people
who have less than a 20 percent risk of getting heart disease in the next
10 years, statins not only fail to reduce the risk of death, but also fail
even to reduce the risk of serious illness - as shown in a recent BMJ
article co-written by one of us. That article shows that, based on the
same data the new guidelines rely on, 140 people in this risk group would
need to be treated with statins in order to prevent a single heart attack
or stroke, without any overall reduction in death or serious illness.
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At the same time, 18 percent or more of this group would experience side
effects, including muscle pain or weakness, decreased cognitive function,
increased risk of diabetes (especially for women), cataracts or sexual
dysfunction.
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Perhaps more dangerous, statins provide false reassurances that may
discourage patients from taking the steps that actually reduce
cardiovascular disease. According to the World Health Organization, 80
percent of cardiovascular disease is caused by smoking, lack of exercise,
an unhealthy diet, and other lifestyle factors. Statins give the illusion
of protection to many people, who would be much better served, for
example, by simply walking an extra 10 minutes per day.
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Aside from these concerns, we have more reasons to be wary about the data
behind this expansion of drug therapy.
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New statin guidelines expand how doctors calculate which patients could
benefit
Report Air Date: Nov. 13, 2013
PBS News Hour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec13/statins_11-13.html
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The complete articles may be read at the URLs provided for each.
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Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[log in to unmask]
http://workface.com/e/daviddillard
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