A 50-Year-Old Man Asks About Starting a Statin to Treat

question 639

Multiple Choice

A 50-year-old man asks about starting a statin to treat his LDL of 130 mg/dL.  He has no family history of coronary artery or cerebrovascular disease.  He does not smoke, has a normal blood pressure, and is a competitive runner.  The patient is especially concerned about the possibility of developing musculoskeletal symptoms that would impact his running.  He has read extensively on the subject and specifically requests help in interpreting some studies.  In one study, none of 5000 controls and 250 of 5000 statin-treated individuals developed musculoskeletal symptoms.  He asks how many patients need to be treated for 1 patient to have musculoskeletal symptoms.
What is the number needed to harm in this study?

• A)200
• B)20
• C)2
• D)5
• E)50

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Definitions:

Reaction Function

A mathematical representation in economics that indicates how one player's action responds to the actions of another in a strategic setting.

Marginal Cost

The amount spent on the production of one more unit of a product or service.

Demand Function

A mathematical function showing the relationship between the quantity demanded of a good and its price, holding other factors constant.

Reaction Function

The strategic response of one player in a game to the actions of another, typically used in the context of oligopoly market structures.