Statins: benefits and harms for low risk patients

NB: In our interview about statins, Abramson quotes the figure of an 18% relative increase in risk of adverse effects of statins. This figure should be couched in uncertainty, and a correction has been posted on bmj.com to reflect that - http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3329 -------------------------------------------------------------------- It may soon be recommended that statins are prescribed to patients with a low risk of cardiovascular disease. John Abramson from the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School explains why the risks associated with taking the drug may have been underplayed. Also this week, interviews with Steve Field, the new chief inspector of hospitals, and Richard Vautry, deputy chairman of the BMA's GP committee, recorded at the National Association of Primary Care's annual Best Practice conference. See also: Should people at low risk of cardiovascular disease take a statin? http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6123