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Heart attacks can be prevented by spending cash on Statins..
Disease-treatment and Health-care costs could be avoided ( or rather - delayed ) therefore, depending on the trade-off between quality and quantity of life.
What we need is a strategy to 'Square-off' the Life-Line..
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Birth < ---- YEARS OF LIFE ------ > Death
each '\' represents a 'disease event' diminishing Life's quality.. it is these events which produce COST - both to the individual, and to the Health-care budget... and NOT the extension of Life. Indeed, rescuing 'top-quality' life from both death and disease is the most economic strategy of all, since those lives can be devoted to Society's gain !
That more people would potentially benefit from statins( and
excercise and a better diet) seems to have been proven. To suggest that
this would decrease total nhs costs or only marginally increase them
seeems a little unlikely. All the people who have their vasular disease
profile modified with drug treatment will still need ongoing care for
their other problems. As it is likely that they will live longer the costs
will increase. This is obviously not a reason for not doing it, but I do
not feel that there is an arguement on cost efficiency grounds.
Quality and Quantity
Heart attacks can be prevented by spending cash on Statins..
Disease-treatment and Health-care costs could be avoided ( or rather - delayed ) therefore, depending on the trade-off between quality and quantity of life.
What we need is a strategy to 'Square-off' the Life-Line..
Q |-----------------------------------------\
U | \-\
|
A | \---\
|
L |
\..........\
|
I |
\ .......\
|
T |
\ .......\ |
Y |
\ |
|
\ |
--------------------------------------------->
Birth < ---- YEARS OF LIFE ------ > Death
each '\' represents a 'disease event' diminishing Life's quality.. it is these events which produce COST - both to the individual, and to the Health-care budget... and NOT the extension of Life. Indeed, rescuing 'top-quality' life from both death and disease is the most economic strategy of all, since those lives can be devoted to Society's gain !
Oh, Brave New World ?
Dr L S Lewis
Surgery
Newport
Pembrokeshire
SA42 0TJ
Competing interests: No competing interests