U.S. cardiologists who were responsible for creating new American Heart Association guidelines for heart disease risk reduction are defending their work as it comes under scrutiny for allegedly overestimating health risks, according to a report from Reuters.
A criticism by two Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.) professors of the risk-reduction guidelines appears in The Lancet. The professors, cardiologist Paul Ridker, MD, and epidemiologist Nancy Cook, ScD, say the guidelines are reactionary and are too quick to put patients on statins, or cholesterol lowering drugs, they might not need.
While the guidelines have not yet been delayed, the guideline authors seem intent on addressing the concerns that have been raised to reaffirm the credibility of their work, according to the report.
According to the guideline authors, criticisms are based on three studies with sample populations demonstrating above-average health. The authors agree that while their risk assessment tool may be too heavy-duty for the populations in the studies Dr. Ridker and Dr. Cook analyzed, it is appropriate for the general population, one-third of which will die from stroke or heart-attack related complications, according to the report.
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