Nothing new here but worth taking a look at for refresher purposes.
Statins
A Letter From Dr. Ornish to the NYT – Diet vs. Statins
Letter – Diet vs. Statins – NYTimes.com
My last non-fasting total cholesterol reading was 211.
Diet and exercise.
Statins for Everybody…Maybe Not
The comments to the following blog post are worth reading.
Listen and Learn – They Will Eat the Double Cheeseburger and NOT the Statin
Non-compliance with medical advice or medications is not a good prescription for future outcomes. Underwriters need to know which side of the compliance fence the applicant is on.
Many Patients On Cholesterol Meds Stop Treatment : NPR
Go to Hank George’s website for a good read on non-compliance.
Risk-Taking Behavior: Noncompliance with Medical Advice | Hank George INC
Listen and Learn – Statins for Everybody
Here are a few links that provide some more insight into the recent results from the Jupiter study.
Study: Statin Helps Even If Cholesterol Is Normal : NPR
In Lowering Cholesterol, How Low Do You Go? : NPR
You can read the NEJM abstract here:
NEJM — Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with Elevated C-Reactive Protein
Lower PSA Levels From Statins
My inner protective sense of cynicism has worked well in the underwriting of mortality risk. Let’s hope the results of this small study are spurious. Otherwise, we’ll all have just one more thing to worry about on that case we accepted where the PSA levels miraculously normalized.
Yes, I Would Like Some Statins with my Double Cheeseburger
I am admittedly less antagonistic about more widespread use of statins in adults due to the the results of the Jupiter Study than about feeding statins to kids. Check out this NT Times article. And in case the link doesn’t work, here is the full permalink address.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/health/10heart.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
I’ll continue following the medical community reaction to this study.
Would You Like Some Statins With That Double Cheeseburger?
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, pondering what to write. It’s simple really.
This is just so wrong…
So would you rate an 8 year old on statins?
AAP ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES ON CHOLESTEROL SCREENING
Below is a policy on a clinical report appearing in the July issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
For Release: July 7, 2008, 12:01 am (ET)
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new cholesterol screening and treatment recommendations for children. The policy statement, “Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood,” recommends cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. It also recommends screening patients whose family history is unknown or those who have other factors for heart disease including obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes. Screening should take place after age two, but no later than age 10. The best method for testing is a fasting lipid profile. If a child has values within the normal range, testing should be repeated in three to five years. For children who are more than eight years old and who have high LDL concentrations, cholesterol-reducing medications should be considered. Younger patients with elevated cholesterol readings should focus on weight reduction and increased activity while receiving nutritional counseling. The statement also recommends the use of reduced-fat dairy products, such as two percent milk, for children as young as one year of age for whom overweight or obesity is a concern.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
© COPYRIGHT AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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