Most statin-eligible patients who go untreated say they’ve never been offered treatment, according to an industry-supported study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers studied survey responses from nearly 5700 patients for whom statin therapy would have been recommended under the 2013 ACC/AHA lipid guidelines. About one-fourth were not currently on statins.
What Is New?
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More than half of patients eligible for but not on statin therapy report never being offered a statin by their doctor.
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Fear of side effects and perceived side effects are the most common reasons for declining or discontinuing statin therapy.
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Willingness to take a statin is high, among both patients who have declined statin therapy and those who have never been offered one.
What Are the Clinical Implications?
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A significant opportunity exists to increase statin utilization by improving physician recognition of eligible patients.
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Addressing patient perception of statin safety, especially among patients who decline or discontinue statin therapy, may improve statin utilization.
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Patients who previously discontinued their statin may be receptive to retrying one if offered by their physician.
Of note, many patients who were never offered statins or who discontinued them said they’d be willing to try treatment.
Read the full article here.
Source: NEJM JournalWatch & JAHA
