Come on, now. This pushing of statins has got to be something the PTB really, really want.
_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3931157.stm
And on the same page is a report of a study that statins may increase risk of cancer.
Here's the gist of it:
- This week, cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins have become available to buy at UK pharmacies.
- Increasingly, doctors are suggesting statins should be given to people with risk factors but no obvious disease, which is called primary prevention. This is to prevent disease occurring in the first place.
- So should it be added to the public water supply? Dr John Reckless, chairman of Heart UK: "The ... debate is to bring out the fact that we are under-treating and the fact that a lot more people could benefit... more people do need statins than are currently getting them... It is clearly effective and safe to treat with a statin at really quite low levels of risk. That doesn't mean to say we are going to treat everyone but you could"
- Oppenent of the idea, Professor Sanders said: "There are serious side effects with statins. One is myositis, ... rhabdomyolysis - a muscle-wasting disease. It's a very nasty side effect. It can kill you. It occurs in about 0.5 to one in 1,000 people treated and that's with screening. Without screening the incidence might be higher... You would not allow something that gives an effect in one in 1,000 people to be added into food." He said the other worry was the harm it could cause to unborn children. "It causes limb defects and for that reason you could not put it in the water supply..." "Most cardiovascular disease could be managed by lifestyle changes. The implication is that diet doesn't matter. I can take a pill for it and it will all get better. It undermines lifestyle changes." Labelling people as patients: "Putting drugs in the drinking water is medicalisation of human activity. It's wrong. You convert people into patients," said Professor Sanders.
And on linking low cholesterol to cancer:
_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6911530.stm
_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3931157.stm
And on the same page is a report of a study that statins may increase risk of cancer.
Here's the gist of it:
- This week, cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins have become available to buy at UK pharmacies.
- Increasingly, doctors are suggesting statins should be given to people with risk factors but no obvious disease, which is called primary prevention. This is to prevent disease occurring in the first place.
- So should it be added to the public water supply? Dr John Reckless, chairman of Heart UK: "The ... debate is to bring out the fact that we are under-treating and the fact that a lot more people could benefit... more people do need statins than are currently getting them... It is clearly effective and safe to treat with a statin at really quite low levels of risk. That doesn't mean to say we are going to treat everyone but you could"
- Oppenent of the idea, Professor Sanders said: "There are serious side effects with statins. One is myositis, ... rhabdomyolysis - a muscle-wasting disease. It's a very nasty side effect. It can kill you. It occurs in about 0.5 to one in 1,000 people treated and that's with screening. Without screening the incidence might be higher... You would not allow something that gives an effect in one in 1,000 people to be added into food." He said the other worry was the harm it could cause to unborn children. "It causes limb defects and for that reason you could not put it in the water supply..." "Most cardiovascular disease could be managed by lifestyle changes. The implication is that diet doesn't matter. I can take a pill for it and it will all get better. It undermines lifestyle changes." Labelling people as patients: "Putting drugs in the drinking water is medicalisation of human activity. It's wrong. You convert people into patients," said Professor Sanders.
And on linking low cholesterol to cancer:
_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6911530.stm
