- Sir Magdi Yacoub carried out more heart transplants than anyone else
- He said the benefits of taking the drugs ‘massively’ outweigh the risks
- Statins are the most-widely prescribed drugs in Britain
19:38 EST, 18 May 2014
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05:16 EST, 19 May 2014
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Everyone over the age of 40 should take cholesterol-busting statins, an eminent heart surgeon says
Everyone over the age of 40 should take cholesterol-busting statins, an eminent heart surgeon says.
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who has carried out more heart transplants than anyone else, said the benefits of taking the controversial drugs ‘massively’ outweigh the risks and to not make them more widely available is ‘lunacy’.
Sir Magdi, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London, also believes statins should be available without a prescription.
Statins are the most-widely prescribed drugs in Britain and are credited with saving thousands of lives a year by preventing heart attacks and strokes.
But a row is raging about their side-effects.
A report published in the British Medical Journal said the cholesterol-lowering drugs, taken by eight million Britons, cause side-effects such as liver and kidney disease and diabetes in one in five patients.
Parts of the article were withdrawn last week, following repeated criticism from an Oxford University academic that the risks had been exaggerated up to 20-fold.
Sir Rory Collins said the figure is one in 100 and described the published claims as a ‘huge error’ that will ‘cause unnecessary deaths’ by discouraging patients from taking the medicine.
Now, Sir Magdi has said that stopping taking the drugs would be disastrous.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday that he found the row very upsetting, adding: ‘It is almost certainly going to result in people not taking statins and that is a major worry to many of us because the evidence is overwhelming, the lower the cholesterol, the healthier you are and the longer you will live.
‘Not only that, it prevents heart attacks and strokes but also cancer, dementia. So not to take statins is a disaster.’
He then called for the drugs to be easier to access – and for more people to take them.
Sir Magdi said he believed statins should be available from chemists without prescription and that everyone over 40 should take them.
He said that side-effects pale into insignificance when compared with the benefits and ‘not to make use of what we have is lunacy’.
Statins are the most-widely prescribed drugs in Britain and are credited with saving thousands of lives a year by preventing heart attacks and stroke
Sir Magdi said: ‘The drug has been around for 25 years or so and we do know the long-term results and exactly what it does biochemically.
‘We know exactly how to monitor any complications which are very minor compared to the benefits so I don’t see the problem.’
Currently, the prescription of statins is based on health, rather than age, with anyone judged to have a 20 per cent risk of a heart attack in the next decade offered them.
But millions more could soon take the pills, as the cut-off is expected to be lowered to 10 per cent.
Some doctors have questioned the mass-medication of essentially healthy people and say there are better ways of spending NHS money.
Dr Mike Knapton, a GP and associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘I am not sure we are yet in a position where everybody over a certain age should be prescribed a statin.
‘Even if in theory it would have public health benefits it could turn life into a disease.’
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UKIP Voter,
Plymouth EUSSR, United Kingdom,
8 minutes ago
I was advised by my doctor to start taking simvastatin as my cholesterol count was slightly high, I did as advised for 6 months then had to see my doctor again, he increased the dosage from 10mg to 20mg without any blood tests to check my cholesterol levels, that’s when I stopped taking them, the pains in my legs have stopped and I feel much better for it, would I take them again, never.
Big Nige,
Up North, United Kingdom,
19 minutes ago
The New World Order is almost upon us. Big Pharma are part of the global collective that make billions out of us poor slaves. The NWO has a set of ‘commandments’ – one of which is to reduce the world’s population from 6+ billion to 500,000 so that the super rich NWO can have the planet for themselves. It’s POPULATION CONTROL and all these so-called ‘wonder-drugs’ are part of their effort to reduce and subdue humanity to a level that will allow our planet to survive.
Michael,
Sheffield,
23 minutes ago
These toxic poisonous statins cause untold damage to those that suffer the side affects. My wife and I stop taking them months ago and now feel better. Although doctors won¿t admit to the damage they¿ve already done. We get so angry to hear this poison being promoted by some medics just to promote government policy of supposedly looking after us plebs. The pharmaceuticals earn $29 billion from this one drug and sure aren¿t going to let the truth get in the way of profit. Remember Thalidomide?
princessmarigold,
York, United Kingdom,
52 minutes ago
EVERYBODY should take them should they? I thought they weren’t very affective in women, so why risk the side effects if they don’t do any good?
Mizme,
Toronto,
53 minutes ago
I won’t touch statins, and I am a former pharm tech. Messing with liver enzymes and creating new problems like type 2 diabetes and muscle damage is not the right path. Unfortunately, the obvious path of a healthy lifestyle/diet is ignored by the masses.
hopeful,
plymouth,
1 hour ago
When in doubt leave out,
UK IS A JOKE,
CARDIFF,
1 hour ago
One of the side effects of statins is rhabdomyolysis (muscle wasting)…how can this be good when your heart is made of muscle???
Pete,
Liverpool,
43 minutes ago
UK IS A JOKE,
CARDIFF,
1 hour ago
Which pharmaceutical company pocket is this guy in? Yeah, lets make everyone a patient who doesn’t need to be! Who is going to pick up the tab for all the check ups and blood tests??? Won’t be this guy!
Birdy,
Chester, United Kingdom,
8 minutes ago
T.H.Ink,
Middleton, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
To all those advocating a simple change in diet, more fruit and vegetables, etc. as a ‘cure’ for high cholesterol. Many people make too much cholesterol (Familial Hypercholesterolaemia) no matter how good their diet. This is a genetic condition, passed down through families. My mother-in-law died from the consequent heart disease, her sister died at 45, her father at 49. My husband had a triple bypass at 49, which saved his life. My children have been tested – two suffer from FH and take statins in their 30s. I hope the drugs will keep them safe. Not one of these people were or are overweight t. (I am, my cholesterol is low). If you are on statins, or offered them, please don’t just read the scare stories on here. Check the cause of your high cholesterol before refusing or stopping statins. You may have the form that is not caused by diet. If so, statins may save your life.
Mizme,
Toronto,
44 minutes ago
Big Nige,
Up North, United Kingdom,
23 minutes ago
T.H.Ink,
Middleton, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
I think I trust Sir Magdi’s qualifications, experience and reputation more than I do yours. Your comment makes no sense. You write †Until he does I would stop making such erroneous statements as being factualâ€. What does that mean? I assume you may mean †Until he does he should stop……â€, but how do you know that what he says is erroneous? Are you a highly qualified biochemist? You run a major research establishment? Perhaps you are a consultant in a major hospital? Do let me know or, given your user name, I will think you work in a supermarket bakery.
Breadmaker,
Leicester,
1 hour ago
T.H.Ink,
Middleton, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
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