Lipid-lowering treatment among older patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

The contemporary uptake of lipid-lowering therapies (LLT), including more intensive treatment with high-intensity statins and non-statin LLT, among U.S. older adults (≥75 years old) with ASCVD is unknown.

In this multicenter retrospective cohort study of a large geographically diverse sample of commercially insured U.S. older adults with ASCVD, we assessed treatment with LLT. Secondary measures included LDL-C above target ≥70 mg/dl, persistence and adherence to therapy.

Treatment with statins, high-intensity statins, ezetimibe, and PCSK9 inhibitors was assessed in 194,503 older adults (49.9% female) with known ASCVD on January 31st, 2019. 49.3% of older adults with ASCVD were on any statin, with 16.6% receiving a high-intensity statin and 32.7% on low-or moderate-intensity statins. Treatment with ezetimibe (2.4%) or PCSK9 inhibitors (0.24%) was rare and 62.6% of the overall cohort had an LDL-C above target at ≥70 mg/dl. Patients on high-intensity statins were more frequently male, had a diagnosis of coronary artery disease, and were more frequently seen by a cardiologist compared with those on low-or moderate-intensity statins and untreated individuals (p < 0.0001). The majority of older adults on high-intensity statins remained on therapy at 12 months (91.9%) and 85.7% had ≥75% adherence to treatment.

Less than half of eligible older adults with ASCVD are on statins and only a minority of patients are receiving more intensive lipid-lowering to improve outcomes.