Dr. Roach: A cardiologist recently suggested that I should consider taking a statin because of my "borderline" cholesterol level. So, I took a dive into the details of statin therapy. I learned that although statins are thought to reduce the chance of a cardiovascular event by up to 50%, the actual reduction is very small.

I presented this information to the cardiologist and decided to forego statin therapy, which he endorsed. A better understanding of this difference would be very valuable to your readers. — T.G.

Answer: The amount of absolute risk reduction from a statin in a person without known heart disease depends mostly on a person's absolute risk of heart disease. This depends on the person's risk factors such as age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking status, fami

See Full Page