Figure 4. Disutility versus utility.

Frequency distribution of disutility, longevity benefit that subjects expressed a desire for in order to make tablet therapy worthwhile (top panel), and the frequency distribution of utility, actual expected gain in lifespan from statin therapy in the English population (bottom panel). The difference between the two values is the net benefit of tablet therapy. Because utility has a very much narrower spectrum than disutility, for those with a high disutility, regardless of utility statins are a net harm; for those with low disutility, regardless of utility statins are a net benefit. It is only for those in the middle grey zone of the top panel that sex, smoking status, blood pressure and cholesterol are the deciding factors.