Dr. recommended statin. i have mild diabetes. no family history cvd. as the nnt is 100 to prevent 2 mi over 5 yrs , i don't see the need: thoughts?

Need numbers: The risk of vascular disease skyrockets in the presence of diabetes. The answer to your question depends on the presence of additional risk factors for coronary artery disease as well as the breakdown of your cholesterol numbers.

Necessary : Recommended LDL for a diabetic is 70 or below. Diabetes is one of the greatest risk factors for heart disease and stroke independent of family history . A staton is gold standard of care in your case.

Recommend Treatment: Diabetes is a chd risk equivalent state (same risk of mi over 10 years as a person with prior mi). Nnt is closely related to LDL particle number (ldl-p). In dm ldl-p is characteristically elevated even though the cholesterol in LDL particles is low. Thus, when ldl-c values are low (<100) the prevalence of elevated ldl-p (>1000) in dm is 75%. Statins lower ldl-p and are the cornerstone of therapy.