There are side effects… but major benefits too

THE way we treat high cholesterol has certainly changed over the past decade.

When statins first came on to the market there was good evidence to show that anyone with even the smallest rise in cholesterol should be on them, to prevent cardiovascular disease.

As the body of evidence has grown, we have taken a more pragmatic approach, weighing up all the risk factors for heart disease, including obesity and smoking, before considering a statin.

So there are now many patients with high cholesterol who would not be offered the drug because their general risks are low.

However, a total cholesterol of 11, as Petronella had, is unusually high and such a level would normally be indicative of someone with an inherited cholesterol issue.

In my experience all such patients are offered statins, rather than dietary advice which often doesn’t have a significant impact.

In spite of this, I’m surprised that any GP would describe statins as ‘utterly harmless’. You could never describe any medication in that way as all come with side effects, however mild, and statins are known to cause muscle cramps as well as other problems.

The risks of that for patients are usually outweighed by the tremendous benefits statins can confer in preventing catastrophic strokes and heart attacks.