Do the benefits of statins outweigh their drawbacks? Assessing patients' trade-off preferences with conjoint analysis

Efficacious lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol through prolonged statin therapy has become a major strategy for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. From the perspective of patients, however, the prophylactic efficacy may be difficult to comprehend. It refers to prospective disease prevention at the population level and an uncertain risk reduction for individual patients. At the same time, actual side effects may occur and treatment entails a lifelong regimen. (aut. ref.)