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Published on: November 10, 2017

[Clinical use of statins and cholesterol goals in patients with several cardiovascular risk factors]

Ana Gómez-Belda1, Enrique Rodilla, Amparo Albert

  • 1Unidad de Hipertensión Arterial y Riesgo Cardiovascular. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital de Sagunto. Sagunto. Valencia. Spain.

Medicina Clinica
|November 6, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Overall, 58% of patients met low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) targets. However, only 26% of high-risk patients achieved their LDL-c goals, highlighting the need for more aggressive statin therapy in secondary prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Preventive Medicine

Context:

  • Assessing achievement of current low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) targets is crucial for cardiovascular risk management.
  • Guidelines like NCEP-ATP III provide benchmarks for LDL-c levels based on patient risk stratification.
  • Cardiovascular clinics manage diverse patient populations with varying risk profiles.

Purpose:

  • To determine the proportion of patients achieving target LDL-c levels based on new guidelines.
  • To evaluate LDL-c target attainment across different cardiovascular risk groups.
  • To identify factors associated with achieving LDL-c goals, particularly in high-risk individuals.

Summary:

  • A study of 1,811 patients found 58% achieved target LDL-c levels.
  • Achievement rates varied significantly by risk group: 26% (high-risk), 51% (intermediate-risk), and 86% (low-risk).
  • Statin treatment was a significant factor in achieving LDL-c targets for high-risk patients.

Impact:

  • Findings underscore the need for more aggressive statin therapy in high-risk patients for effective secondary prevention.
  • Current treatment strategies may be insufficient for a substantial portion of high-risk individuals.
  • Improved lipid management is essential to reduce cardiovascular events.
Abstract

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