Originally Aired September 10, 2014: Simvastatin in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and Communicating With Patients About Risk
Rebecca and Amol want you to:
1. Recognize that simvastatin reduces the rate of whole brain atrophy in secondary progressive MS, which may be a promising new use for statins.
2. Understand that effective strategies to communicate risk include: Using visual aids, speaking in terms of absolute risk, and using quantitative descriptors whenever possible.
Continuing Medical Education
Internists can receive 0.5 hours of Continuing Medical Education credit for each podcast they listen to through the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine (MOC Category 1) and the American Medical Association (PRA Category 1). To receive CME credit for listening to this podcast, please click here to fill out our Evaluation and Impact Assessment Form.
The papers
J Chataway et al. Effect of high-dose simvastatin on brain atrophy and disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-STAT): a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2014 Jun 28;383(9936):2213-21. (PubMed).
D Zipkin et al. Evidence-Based Risk Communication: A Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med. 2014 Aug 19;161(4):270-80. (PubMed).
Good stuff
Rebecca:
How to Get Through a Work Day on no Sleep, Melissa Dahl, New York Magazine. August 13, 2014.
Amol:
Why toxic algae blooms are taking over Lake Erie – again. Vox.com. August 4, 2014.