Men and women--similar but not identical: insights into LDL-lowering therapy in women from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists Collaboration

A new rational approach to reach LDL-cholesterol concentration objectives after an acute coronary syndrome

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Adequate LDL cholesterol (LDLc) control after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a crucial secondary prevention strategy to minimize the incidence of recurrent myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. There are tables that predict the necessary dosage of lipid-lowering treatment from the initial LDLc but have not been tested in ACS. Variables associated with optimal LDLc after an ACS were analyzed and the therapeutic yield of the use of Masana's recommendations in this setting.

METHODS

A total number of 326 ACS-patients were included between January-2015 and May-2016. Baseline LDLc concentration and prescribed hypolipemiant treatment at hospital discharge were registered. We analyzed the variables associated with optimal LDLc levels (<70mg/dL) control during follow-up.

RESULTS

Among our patient population (72% male, age 66±13 years), the hypolipemiant treatment at hospital discharge fulfilled the Masana's recommendations in 196 (60%) patients. After a follow-up period of 122 [66-184] days the targeted LDLc levels were achieved in 148 (45%) patients, being this percentage greater among those in whom the Masana's recommendations were fulfilled (109/196, 56%), as compared with the remaining (39/130, 30%; P<.001). The male gender (P<.001), the absence of prior history of dyslipemia (P<.001) and the adherence to Masana's recommendations (P=.007) were independent predictors for the achievement of targeted LDLc levels during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In less than half of ACS-patients adequate mid-term LDLc control is obtained. The dosage of the lipid-lowering therapy according to Masana's recommendations helps to achieve this important therapeutic goal.

The effect of adherence to statin therapy on cardiovascular mortality: quantification of unmeasured bias using falsification end-points

BACKGROUND

To determine the clinical effectiveness of statins on cardiovascular mortality in practice, observational studies are needed. Control for confounding is essential in any observational study. Falsification end-points may be useful to determine if bias is present after adjustment has taken place.

METHODS

We followed starters on statin therapy in the Netherlands aged 46 to 100 years over the period 1996 to 2012, from initiation of statin therapy until cardiovascular mortality or censoring. Within this group (n = 49,688, up to 16 years of follow-up), we estimated the effect of adherence to statin therapy (0 = completely non-adherent, 1 = fully adherent) on ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular disease (ICD10-codes I20-I25 and I60-I69) as well as respiratory and endocrine disease mortality (ICD10-codes J00-J99 and E00-E90) as falsification end points, controlling for demographic factors, socio-economic factors, birth cohort, adherence to other cardiovascular medications, and diabetes using time-varying Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Falsification end-points indicated that a simpler model was less biased than a model with more controls. Adherence to statins appeared to be protective against cardiovascular mortality (HR: 0.70, 95 % CI 0.61 to 0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Falsification end-points helped detect overadjustment bias or bias due to competing risks, and thereby proved to be a useful technique in such a complex setting.