TY - JOUR
T1 - Room for improvement: initiation of lipid lowering treatment and achievement of lipid target levels
T2 - a Danish registry-based study
AU - Rerup, Sofie A
AU - Rørth, Rasmus
AU - Bang, Lia E
AU - Mogensen, Ulrik M
AU - Torp-Pedersen, Christian
AU - Gislason, Gunnar
AU - Køber, Lars
AU - Fosbøl, Emil L
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - AIMS: Prevention of adverse outcomes in individuals with high cholesterol levels may be improved by intensified lipid lowering treatment (LLT). We studied whether treatment goals of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were reached within one year from baseline (defined as first LDL-C measurement) in a Danish population.METHODS AND RESULTS: Danish registries were used to identify all persons in the Northern Region of Denmark who had LDL-C measured between 1997-2012 and who were naïve to LLT. Patients were categorized in LDL-C <5 or ≥ 5 mmol/L and further subdivided into low, high, and very high predicted cardiovascular (CV)-risk as suggested by European guidelines for risk stratification. Initiation of LLT and lipid target levels were assessed after one year (3.0, 2.5 and 1.8 mmol/L, respectively).In this study we examined the intensity of LLT and whether treatment goals were reached. More patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/L, regardless of the CV-risk, initiated LLT compared with patients who had a very high CV-risk and LDL-C <5 mmol/l. In total 37.7% (n = 32,581) of all patients with a follow-up LDL-C, and 25.1% (n = 3,229) of patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l, had achieved their target levels after one year. Only 45.2% (n = 4,545) of the LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l high risk patients with a follow up LDL-C had started LLT 12 months after baseline.CONCLUSION: Less than half of patients presenting with an LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l start LLT within one year, representing a missed opportunity for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
AB - AIMS: Prevention of adverse outcomes in individuals with high cholesterol levels may be improved by intensified lipid lowering treatment (LLT). We studied whether treatment goals of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were reached within one year from baseline (defined as first LDL-C measurement) in a Danish population.METHODS AND RESULTS: Danish registries were used to identify all persons in the Northern Region of Denmark who had LDL-C measured between 1997-2012 and who were naïve to LLT. Patients were categorized in LDL-C <5 or ≥ 5 mmol/L and further subdivided into low, high, and very high predicted cardiovascular (CV)-risk as suggested by European guidelines for risk stratification. Initiation of LLT and lipid target levels were assessed after one year (3.0, 2.5 and 1.8 mmol/L, respectively).In this study we examined the intensity of LLT and whether treatment goals were reached. More patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/L, regardless of the CV-risk, initiated LLT compared with patients who had a very high CV-risk and LDL-C <5 mmol/l. In total 37.7% (n = 32,581) of all patients with a follow-up LDL-C, and 25.1% (n = 3,229) of patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l, had achieved their target levels after one year. Only 45.2% (n = 4,545) of the LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l high risk patients with a follow up LDL-C had started LLT 12 months after baseline.CONCLUSION: Less than half of patients presenting with an LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l start LLT within one year, representing a missed opportunity for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
KW - LDL cholesterol
KW - Lipid-lowering treatment
KW - Prevention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102964336&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaa004
DO - 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaa004
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 31958115
SN - 2058-1742
VL - 7
SP - 181
EP - 188
JO - European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes
JF - European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes
IS - 2
M1 - qcaa004
ER -