Statin Usage in Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a significant risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events.
• Appropriate statin therapy is crucial for managing cardiovascular risk in patients with PAD.
• Guidelines recommend high-intensity statins for patients at high cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the appropriate use of statin therapy in patients diagnosed with PAD.
• To evaluate the correlation between statin usage and the number of affected vascular beds in PAD patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study analyzing data from 166 patients with confirmed PAD.
• Data included demographics, clinical factors, laboratory results, and treatments.
• Logistic regression identified predictors for statin prescription; high-intensity statin therapy defined per ACC/AHA guidelines.

Main Results:

• Statins were prescribed to 82% of PAD patients, but only 39% received high-intensity statins.
• Presence of cerebrovascular disease, use of oral anticoagulants, and dual antiplatelet therapy were associated with lower odds of receiving lower extremity revascularization therapy.
• Diabetes mellitus was the most common comorbidity (68.86%).

Conclusions:

• Patients with PAD are undertreated with appropriate high-intensity statin therapy, despite their elevated risk of adverse cardiac events.
• Increased involvement of multiple vascular beds in PAD patients was associated with a higher likelihood of initiating high-intensity statin therapy.