At 16:59 -0400 on 06-10-1996, Amrit Takhar wrote:
> I doubt whether any of the recent cholesterol studies have attempted to
>look at
> the benefits of treating patients over the age of 70
> In the abscence of this evidence there is a clear risk you may do more
>harm than
> good in treating with statins in this age group
>
> Dr Amrit Takhar
> GP Cambs Uk
>
> < Not unexpectedly the drug funding body told us we were
> in fantasyland. [They had to consider their annual bonuses of course.]
> We (the profession) are not asking for GP's to follow the 4S evidence to
> the "nth" degree, as it is clearly impracticable at the present time, but
> we do most certainly need to weigh each case up on its merits. I believe
> this patient has a risk far higher than 3% and I would treat her if she was
> sprightly.
> If the country didn't make provision for subsidising her medicine (and the
> RCGP needs to be involved in making sure there are guidelines for GP's)
> then she at least needs to have informed consent provided as to how much
> (if any) of the costs she might like to consider herself - - if she values
> the quality of her ageing years.
> My father is 72 years and if he had a cholesterol of 9 mmol/L I would most
> certainly be seeking treatment with the best EBM-medicine (EBM sometimes
> has its uses when the evidence is convincing).
> Jon Wilcox
> The Other Side of the World (?? Fantasyland)>
Be sensible.
If you can survive untill that age with that measurement, the figure is the
problem, your interpretation of the figure is the problem. He has NO
problem!
He isn't suffering! He has No complaints! He has a figure , a lab result.
You probably will be treating your guild, preventing guild, etc, etc.
You probably are treating yourself.
I know that from time to time I suffer from your dissease.
And feel good, important with treating lab-results instead of people. (I
allmost wrote patients! You see how simple it is to fall into the trap?)
Never the less.
Medicine is an ART, It's not a program, protocol, or science only.
"Statisticaly proven" has nothing to do with medical relevance.
Greetings
Gerard Freriks,huisarts, MD
C. Sterrenburgstr 54
3151JG Hoek van Holland
the Netherlands (31) 174-384296/ Fax: -386249
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS
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