How doctors calculate absolute risk reduction for statins

Doctors calculate absolute risk reduction for statins by first determining a patient's individual absolute risk of heart disease based on factors like age, blood pressure, and cholesterol. This absolute risk is then reduced by a percentage, typically around 20%, to estimate the absolute risk reduction. The actual benefit depends significantly on the patient's initial risk level. For instance, a 75-year-old man with borderline risk factors might see a 3.9% absolute risk reduction, while a 50-year-old woman with the same factors would have a much smaller reduction.