In a joint statement to Lusa news agency concerning a TVI report aired last Saturday on the new book by Manuel Pinto Coelho, the scientific societies of Cardiology, Atherosclerosis, and Hypertension warn that presenting these opinions as a “legitimate alternative” to medicine poses “a public health risk”.
They note that cardio and cerebrovascular diseases account for 26% of deaths in Portugal, with 80% preventable through healthy lifestyles and adherence to preventive therapeutic measures, including cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins.
They further state that promoting “pseudoscientific theories” that deny cholesterol’s role in cardiovascular diseases, “a foundational aspect of post-heart attack and post-stroke patient treatment,” can lead to the suspension of therapies and the promotion of new cardiovascular events.
“This is a harmful effect widely demonstrated in these situations,” state the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC), the Portuguese Society of Atherosclerosis (SPA), and the Portuguese Society of Hypertension (SPH) in a joint communiqué.
They emphasize that “science is not based on ‘polling’, ‘opinion’, or ‘hunches’ but rather on evidence,” which they claim is unequivocal regarding the risk of high cholesterol.
“There are already enormous issues with therapeutic adherence that cost thousands of lives annually,” they warn.
The scientific societies refute the positions presented by Dr. Manuel Pinto Coelho concerning cholesterol, clarifying that all major worldwide agencies—World Health Organization, European Society of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association—”confirm LDL cholesterol as a direct cause of atherosclerosis.”
“The danger is real: the interruption of statins, motivated by pseudoscientific news, is statistically associated with an immediate increase in heart attacks and strokes,” state the medical societies, insisting that “giving the same weight to a scientific consensus of over 50 years and an opinion without scientific basis creates a false doubt in the public.”
They also urge the population not to stop medication without consulting their primary physician, as only they can evaluate the risk-benefit relationship of the prescribed drugs, insisting: “Disinformation kills as much as disease.”
The SPC, SPA, and SPH also announce they will file a formal complaint with the Medical Council’s Disciplinary Board, requesting “the restoration of scientific truth.”
