Ep 25: Cholesterol and Heart Disease: What We Don't Know
2 Docs Talk: The podcast about healthcare, the science of medicine and everything in between. - A podcast by Kendall Britt, MD and Amy Rogers, MD
Because individuals with high cholesterol levels often develop heart disease, we've come to accept that high cholesterol - especially "bad" cholesterol, or LDL - causes heart disease. But it can't be said often enough that correlation does not equal causation, and it is beginning to look more and more like a causal realtionship between cholesterol and heart disease just isn't there. In this episode we talk about the status of treating cholesterol to prevent heart disease and about a drug trial that punctuates the whole process with a giant question mark. Take a listen and see what you think. Resources: Number Needed to Treat with Statins for Primary Prevention Number Needed to Treat with Statins for Secondary Prevention Evacitrapib Study Stopped Because of Clinical Futility American Heart Association Guidelines for Prevention with Statins
