Poor attainment of lipid targets in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease

Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are at very high risk of future cardiovascular (CV) events. Strict lipid-lowering therapy is recommended. However, data on target level attainment are scarce.

The objective of the study was to investigate guideline equitable lipid lowering in a large observational study of symptomatic PAD patients.

Single-center observational study including 1109 patients with symptomatic PAD planned for revascularization at a tertiary university center. Between 2010 and 2017, guideline target level attainment trends over time and the association of statin therapy with CV mortality were analyzed.

Atorvastatin (52.3%) and rosuvastatin (23.5%) were the most frequently prescribed statins and amounted to an average simvastatin equivalent of 52 mg/d. Attainment rates of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals were as low as 27% and 33%, respectively. Although there was a significant improvement of LDL-C from 2010 to 2017 (mean LDL-C 110 vs 80 mg/dL, P < .0001 for trend), attainment remained poor, that is, only 42% in 2016 and 45% in 2017 achieved the <70 mg/dL goal. CV mortality was significantly lower (4% vs 11%, P < .01) in statin-treated patients over a median follow-up period of 50 ± 26 months.

There is a remarkable undertreatment of LDL-C and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with symptomatic PAD, although LDL-C decreased significantly from 2010 to 2017. As statin treatment was associated with a reduced CV mortality rate, our findings call for an increased awareness in clinical lipidology regarding symptomatic PAD patients.