NNT for MACE prevention — 6 month update

Dr.BariatricHTX said:

I'm 62 years old and want to share my perspective on cardiovascular risk as an older member of this community.

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most:

Baseline hsCRP: 11.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk)
Month 6 hsCRP: 2.5 mg/L (moderate risk)
Month 12 hsCRP: 0.7 mg/L (low risk)

This level of inflammatory marker reduction is comparable to what you'd see with statin therapy. Combined with the weight loss, my 10-year ASCVD risk score dropped from 18% to 5%. My cardiologist is genuinely impressed.

EndoResFellow said:

I want to bring up the cardiovascular angle on cardiovascular risk.

Genuinely useful, thank you. I had the facts and not the framework.

Dr.BariatricHTX said:

I'm 62 years old and want to share my perspective on cardiovascular risk as an older member of this community.

NNT calculation for cardiovascular risk clinical endpoints: NNT = 1/ARR (absolute risk reduction).

From SELECT trial: MACE at 39 months — 6.5% semaglutide vs 8.0% placebo. ARR = 1.5%. NNT = 67 over 3.3 years.

Compare to established therapies:

These NNTs are clinically meaningful and comparable to accepted cardiovascular interventions.

MikeNYC_runner said:

Prescribed on cardiovascular grounds rather than for weight, and almost everything written for patients assumes the opposite.

Positive "side effect" of cardiovascular risk: my blood pressure dropped so much that I'm now off amlodipine entirely! My cardiologist is thrilled.

If you're on BP meds and losing weight on a GLP-1, monitor your BP at home regularly. Hypotension symptoms (dizziness, lightheadedness when standing) mean your BP meds may need reduction. Don't wait for your next scheduled appointment — call your doctor.

Moderator note: the sourcing question belongs in the vendor section and has been split out.