TY - JOUR T1 - Anyone for a statin? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 650 LP - 650 VL - 55 IS - 517 AU - Dougal Jeffries Y1 - 2005/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/55/517/650.abstract N2 - Our surgeries nowadays require us to deal with more well people supposedly at risk of becoming ill, than ill people seeking to get better. While some GPs seem to find this straightforward and rewarding, I find it difficult and frustrating. Here's an example:A 70-year-old woman with controlled hypertension has come in to discuss her lipid results, which we have checked, several times, as all good doctors must. Her latest figures are total cholesterol 7.0 mmol/l, triglycerides 1.9 mmol/l and total cholesterol:HDL 3.4. Previous levels for TC have been 6.8, 7.2 and 5.7 mmol/l. She is a non-smoker, with no family history of coronary heart disease and is not diabetic. Pre-treatment blood pressure was around 184/90 mmHg.I turn to the back of the BNF and show her the New Zealand tables, explaining that she has a risk of around 20% of suffering a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. I also point out that she has a fair chance of dying of something else in the same period. I tell her … ER -