What is my risk, doctor? Patients should be told risks of untreated disease and side effects of treatment

Bretthauer and Kalager have a point in arguing that absolute disease risk and absolute treatment effects should be part of the information provided to patients.1 In the case of the fictional Mrs Olsen, statins might reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event from 6% to 3%.It seems appropriate, however, to complement this information with the relative risk reduction (50%) as it explains in a clear way how this particular risk can be reduced. The risk could be further reduced with concurrent lifestyle changes.Patients should be told about the risk of side effects. The information given by Bretthauer and Kalager, however, may mislead as the risk reduction for cardiovascular disease (from 6% to 3%) seems to be neutralised by an even greater risk of side effects: 5% risk of muscle pain and 10% risk of digestive problems.There should be additional information about the frequency with which cardiovascular events are associated with…
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