Editing Heart Protection Study (section)

==Interpretation==
The HPS is to date the largest study to investigate the use of [[statin]]s in the prevention of [[cardiovascular disease]]. While there have been concerns about side-effects associated with statins ([[myopathy]] and [[rhabdomyolysis]]), these were rare in this study.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

The [[number needed to treat]] in the study was 57 to postpone one death and 19 to prevent one cardiovascular "event" (in those taking the drug simvastatin for 5 years). There was no mortality benefit in women with a statistical "p-value" that did not reach significance (0.08) while the Kaplan-Meier mortality curves, for men and women separately, have not been published as of 2016. [[Cancer]] risk was not significantly lower in the treatment group; in fact, there was no difference except for non-melanoma skin cancers, wherein the placebo group had a barely-significant lower risk of diagnosis. No worsening of [[lung disease]] was found, an initial concern with statin drugs, and simvastatin did not decrease [[osteoporosis]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}