Why didn't statins protect....

"What is rarely mentioned in this discussion is how many people have to take a statin in order to prevent one heart attack. It’s a surprisingly large number. This is what is called the absolute risk reduction and most people zone out the minute we start talking about statistics. Please hang in there with us as we describe a major meta-analysis by statin enthusiasts (Lancet, Aug. 11, 2012).

These cardiologists and statisticians analyzed data from 27 clinical trials. Over 170,000 people participated in these studies. Cutting to the chase, here is what they found:

If 1,000 people took a statin instead of a placebo for five years there would have been 11 fewer “major vascular events.” Put another way, 5.2% of the people getting placebo experienced an “event” over the five year period whereas 4.1% of those on a statin had such an event. That represents a 1.1% improvement. Depending upon your perspective this kind of risk reduction is either fabulous or modest. We offer no editorial opinion"

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