Statin compliance in the Umbrian population

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular pharmacology
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.
• Statins are widely prescribed for primary and secondary prevention of CVD.
• Long-term adherence to statin therapy is crucial for effective CVD risk management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate statin treatment compliance over 4.5 years in an Italian population.
• To assess persistence and continuity of statin use in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
• To identify factors influencing statin adherence.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of pharmaceutical, medical, and demographic data from the Umbria Regional Government's Epidemiology Department database.
• Stratification of 39,222 statin users into cohorts based on drug use, aspirin use, and cardiovascular events.
• Definition of compliance through persistence (≤30-day gap between prescriptions) and continuity (consecutive annual renewals).

Main Results:

• Median statin treatment persistence was 5.3 months.
• Only 12.8% of subjects demonstrated persistence, while 49.6% achieved continuous annual prescription renewal.
• Aspirin use and major cardiovascular events predicted better compliance; younger patients (<45 years) in these cohorts exhibited the highest persistence and continuity.

Conclusions:

• Low statin treatment compliance was observed, particularly in patients presumed to be receiving statins for primary prevention.
• Enhanced patient education and targeted interventions are recommended for improving adherence in these populations.
• Further research into strategies for optimizing long-term statin therapy adherence is warranted.