Over the last several years, fearmongering about statins has exploded, as misinformation alleges that they damage the brain, liver, and muscles, among other problems.
Oxford researchers recently published a study in the Lancet Digital Health that should help with one common concern involving muscle disorders. Whether it ultimately does, however, will tell us a lot about the influence of online misinformation, and the scientific community’s ability to counter it.
Motivated by patients’ concerns, the researchers analyzed the health records of 5.7 million people in England to build and validate a model that estimates an individual’s risk of developing serious muscle disorders from taking statins. The risks are exceedingly low: The model predicts that 99.6% of people identified by their general practitioners as eligible for statin treatment were at low risk of serious muscle disorders. A clinician could use the model to help a worried patient calculate their own risk, rather than sharing a population average.
That ought to be reassuring. But the question is whether accurate information can reach patients through an information environment increasingly shaped by voices outside medicine.
A poll published by Pew Research in May shows 4 in 10 adults get health information from social media influencers and podcasts. Half report struggling to know what is accurate. Online influencers are both stoking and exploiting this uncertainty, turning health misinformation into a business model.
