The view from Statin Island
FuturePundit finds this factoid in a Reuters story:
Overall, 2.1 percent of [H1N1] patients taking statins died, compared to 3.2 percent of patients not taking statins. That means patients taking statins were just under 50 percent less likely to die.
Bill Quick questions the math, and reasonably so: 34 and a fraction is not exactly “just under” 50.
And I wonder if someone who doesn’t need cholesterol adjustment might be scared into taking these things just to lower the flu risk.
Let it be known that I take 40 mg of simvastatin daily, although it was in fact prescribed for marginally-high (around 200) cholesterol. I can remember when 200 used to be the goal; now it’s considered a risk factor. Then again, if you think about it, just being born is a risk factor.
fillyjonk »
31 October 2009 · 6:35 pm
I am going to take every statistic I hear surrounding this disease with a large grain of salt (for which I may need beta blockers, later in life).
McGehee »
31 October 2009 · 7:46 pm
Looks to me like somebody at Reuters figured out that those figures suggested those who don’t take statins are “just under 50% more likely to die than those who don’t.”
And some idiot edited the verbiage on the assumption that the same percentage would apply. Innumeracy, thy name is journalist.
CGHill »
31 October 2009 · 8:27 pm
But … they have all those layers of editors! How could they mess anything up? (“Editors don’t get laid.”—Ed.)
fillyjonk »
31 October 2009 · 8:48 pm
Kind of like the old adage about too many cooks and the broth?