Case: | John Smith presents to his GP for a health check; 65 years old, non-smoker, no predispositions, no symptoms, no medication, normal weight, blood pressure 120/80 mmHg, total-cholesterol = 8 mmol/l |
ARR: | ‘If people with a cholesterol level like yours do not take the medicine, on average 6.6%, or approximately 7 out of 100 persons, will die within the next 10 years. However, if people take the medicine, on average 5.7%, or approximately 6 out of 100, will die over the next 10 years. That means that on average one person fewer out of 100 will die over the next 10 years.’ |
POL: | ‘If people with a cholesterol level like yours keep on living the way they do, they will on average live 16 years from now. If they take cholesterol-lowering medication for the rest of their lives, they will on average live 4 months longer than if they do not take medicine.’ |