The truth about the safety of statins
Dr Wamil discusses the safety of statins in the Telegraph article - 13 October 2023
Telegraph article - 13 October 2023
Should I be taking statins for my cholesterol?Based on the new Nice recommendations, NHS doctors will compute a cardiovascular disease risk score for all patients, before offering them the choice of going on statin therapy.The latest tools used to compute these risk scores are based on AI analysis of the patient’s electronic health records and consider a whole variety of factors, not just cholesterol levels.“Factors considered also include age, family history of heart disease, smoking status, blood pressure level, and whether they have diabetes or not,” says Dr Gosia Wamil, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. “These newer calculators can improve prediction of who needs to be treated or not.”How long do statins take to work?Statins will start to reduce LDL cholesterol within weeks, but it can take several months before their full benefits are apparent. According to Dr Wamil, long-term data indicate that the efficacy of statins remains largely stable over time. “There have been no indications of waning effectiveness observed even after prolonged use over many years, provided that they are consistently and appropriately administered,” she says. “LDL should be monitored, and the statin dose may need to be adjusted occasionally to achieve a good effect.”