More specifically, it takes into account whether a person smokes, their cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI).
This means that millions more people deemed at risk of a heart attack or stroke could be able to choose whether to take statins.
The NICE committee made this agreement on the ground that if more people take statins, the reduction in heart disease and stroke incidences would be greater.
Paul Chrisp, director of the Centre for Guidelines at NICE, said: “What we’re saying is that, for people with a less than 10 percent risk over 10 years of a first attack or stroke, the decision to take a statin should be left to individual patients after an informed discussion of benefits and risks.”
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