Study finds statin benefits far outweigh risks, which are often exaggerated

The benefits of the cholesterol-reducing drug statins are underestimated and the harms exaggerated, a major review suggests. Published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet and backed by a number of major health organizations, it says statins lower heart attack and stroke risk.

Large-scale evidence from randomized trials shows that statin therapy reduces the risk of major vascular events (ie, coronary deaths or myocardial infarctions, strokes, and coronary revascularization procedures) by about one-quarter for each mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol during each year (after the first) that it continues to be taken. The absolute benefits of statin therapy depend on an individual's absolute risk of occlusive vascular events and the absolute reduction in LDL cholesterol that is achieved, the study noted.

On the other hand, typically, treatment of 10 000 patients for five years with an effective regimen (eg, atorvastatin 40mg daily) would cause about five cases of myopathy (one of which might progress to the more severe condition of rhabdomyolysis, if the statin is not stopped), five-10 hemorrhagic strokes, 50-100 new cases of diabetes and up to 50-100 cases of symptomatic adverse events (such as muscle pain).