Management of complex lipid disorders in a community lipid clinic setting: Implementing a multidisciplinary model

Large treatment gaps exist in the management of lipid disorders, and many high-risk patients have factors that complicate management efforts. While lipid clinics exist within academic medical centers, most of these patients are cared for in community settings.

To report our experience and results managing challenging and complex lipid disorders in a community-based lipid clinic.

We established a specialized lipid clinic in a community medical setting, with a focus on patients with management challenges and/or suspicion of a genetic lipid disorder, employing a multidisciplinary approach to optimize patient outcomes, emphasizing appropriate medical therapies and lipid genetic testing in selected patients. Retrospective electronic health record data were collected to analyze patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and lipid results.

Over the period 2022 through 2024, 183 patients were seen (mean 63 years, 62% female). The challenging nature of the patient population was highlighted by high rates of statin intolerance (50%), no lipid medical therapy at baseline (50%), and comorbidities (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [ASCVD], diabetes, and/or hypertension-61%). Despite this, over a mean follow-up of 9.4 ± 7.3 months, we observed a mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decrease of 49 mg/dL (-24.5%, P < .001), along with significant decreases in total cholesterol and triglycerides. Pathogenic dyslipidemia genetic variants were discovered in 21 patients (of 105 tested). Significant lipid improvements in the whole cohort, as well as multiple subgroups, were associated with greater utilization of combination therapies.

Patients with complex lipid disorders can be successfully managed within a specialized lipid clinic in community medical settings. Applying such a multidisciplinary model outside of traditional academic medical centers offers the potential to raise the level of lipid management and ASCVD prevention more broadly in larger populations.