An online calculator designed to help doctors assess heart disease risk is flawed, a problem that could result in millions of people being prescribed statin drugs who don’t need them, the New York Times reports.
In reaction to the finding by two Harvard Medical School professors, a past president of the American College of Cardiologists has called for the implementation of the new guidelines announced with the calculator to be stopped and for further study to be conducted.
“It’s stunning,” Dr. Steven Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, told the paper. “We need to pause to further evaluate this approach before it is implemented on a widespread basis.”
Study: Doctor Discovers Simple Heart Cure
At the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, which began Nov. 16, experts behind the calculator said they would consider the problems cited and decide whether changes were needed.
To read the complete New York Times story, go here.