> For example, for every thousand low-risk patients prescribed statins for primary prevention, only a single stroke is prevented per year. Meanwhile, you would need to treat more than a thousand people with antihypertensive therapy per year to prevent one death. This is a far higher NNT than that of many interventions GPs are advised against prescribing due to lack of efficacy.
> Enas bases his numbers on a 2013 Cochrane review. Enas reports that NNT equals 167 for low risk (less than 1%) and 67 for intermediate risk (1-2%) individuals. Enas reinterprets this as meaning 1000 low-risk people would need to be treated for five years to prevent six major adverse cardiovascular events. Enas notes the increased risk of type II diabetes from statin use and also estimates that 100 of the thousand people treated would have myopathy (that the same might occur with placebo is irrelevant as I will not be taking a placebo). Enas judged that the benefits of treatment in low risk subjects far outweigh any possible hazards and concluded that early and aggressive statin therapy offers the greatest potential for reducing the continuing epidemic of coronary artery disease among Indians.
> For example, for every thousand low-risk patients prescribed statins for primary prevention, only a single stroke is prevented per year. Meanwhile, you would need to treat more than a thousand people with antihypertensive therapy per year to prevent one death. This is a far higher NNT than that of many interventions GPs are advised against prescribing due to lack of efficacy.
https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3458/rr/761453
> Enas bases his numbers on a 2013 Cochrane review. Enas reports that NNT equals 167 for low risk (less than 1%) and 67 for intermediate risk (1-2%) individuals. Enas reinterprets this as meaning 1000 low-risk people would need to be treated for five years to prevent six major adverse cardiovascular events. Enas notes the increased risk of type II diabetes from statin use and also estimates that 100 of the thousand people treated would have myopathy (that the same might occur with placebo is irrelevant as I will not be taking a placebo). Enas judged that the benefits of treatment in low risk subjects far outweigh any possible hazards and concluded that early and aggressive statin therapy offers the greatest potential for reducing the continuing epidemic of coronary artery disease among Indians.