Comments on: Why don’t we just put statins in the water supply and be done with it? http://www.journalclub.org/2005/05/30/n60 Comments on the medical literature Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:30:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: medmusings http://www.journalclub.org/2005/05/30/n60/comment-page-1#comment-2454 medmusings Tue, 31 May 2005 06:26:00 +0000 http://www.journalclub.org/?p=60#comment-2454 <strong>links for 2005-05-31</strong> Medpundit: more on why the case-control NEJM study purportedly supporting decreased risk of colorectal cancer by taking statins is hogwash: lack of matching of ethnic group, differences in # askenazi jews " if the researchers really wanted to see if ... links for 2005-05-31

Medpundit: more on why the case-control NEJM study purportedly supporting decreased risk of colorectal cancer by taking statins is hogwash: lack of matching of ethnic group, differences in # askenazi jews ” if the researchers really wanted to see if …

]]> By: Neuro http://www.journalclub.org/2005/05/30/n60/comment-page-1#comment-2452 Neuro Mon, 30 May 2005 22:40:18 +0000 http://www.journalclub.org/?p=60#comment-2452 The problem with case-controls

Dr. Michael Jacobson has an excellent post on a recent Israeli case-control study on statins and colorectal cancer that’s worth reading in full:

Why don’t we just put statins in the water supply and be done with it?
In last week’s NEJM is a ca…

]]> By: Clinical Cases and Images http://www.journalclub.org/2005/05/30/n60/comment-page-1#comment-2451 Clinical Cases and Images Mon, 30 May 2005 20:11:26 +0000 http://www.journalclub.org/?p=60#comment-2451 This new study adds more to the Polypill concept published in BMJ in 2003 - everybody over 50 should be on ABCDE (ASA, Beta blocker, Cholesterol lowering statin, Diuretic, Enzyme inhibitor - ACEi, and Folate). Estrogen HRT was looking promising for a number of indications before the large RCTs were done. And then we had to call all our female patients to stop the "magic pill". This is the Tamhane's law (named after one of my colleagues): a new study is out and then the doctors run in its direction as fast as they can, prescribing the new drug left and right, Then, several years later, another new study shows no benefit or even harm. Then, the doctors run just as fast in the opposite direction. (Have a mental picture of a flock of sheep). This new study adds more to the Polypill concept published in BMJ in 2003 – everybody over 50 should be on ABCDE (ASA, Beta blocker, Cholesterol lowering statin, Diuretic, Enzyme inhibitor – ACEi, and Folate).

Estrogen HRT was looking promising for a number of indications before the large RCTs were done. And then we had to call all our female patients to stop the “magic pill”.

This is the Tamhane’s law (named after one of my colleagues): a new study is out and then the doctors run in its direction as fast as they can, prescribing the new drug left and right, Then, several years later, another new study shows no benefit or even harm. Then, the doctors run just as fast in the opposite direction. (Have a mental picture of a flock of sheep).

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