Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Lipids, Stanford / 04.12.2016
High Intensity Statins Increase For High Risk Atherosclerotic Patients, But Lagging in Women and Minorities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol management guidelines emphasized that high-risk patients with atherosclerotic disease should be on high-intensity statins. We sought to determine how these guidelines are being adopted at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System and to identify treatment gaps.
Our main findings were that the use of high-intensity statins increased from 23 to 35% following the guideline release for these high-risk patients. However, high-intensity statin use was lowest in Hispanics and Native Americans. Women, older adults, and patients with peripheral arterial and cerebrovascular disease were also less likely to undergo statin intensification after the release of the guideline. We also noted geographic and institutional differences across VA hospitals in rates of high-intensity statin use for secondary prevention.
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