Study Demonstrates Patients Taking Statins Still Have Lipid Abnormality

A study conducted by US-based Merck, demonstrated that in 22,000 patients, nearly three-quarters of patients taking statins still had at least one lipid abnormality. The results from the study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress in Spain.

The DYSlipidemia International Study (DYSIS) assessed the prevalence of dyslipidemia among patients taking statins by measuring LDL-cholesterol(LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels of more than 22,000 patients aged 45 and older who had received statin therapy for at least three months.

Reportedly, the study found 48% of patients had LDL-C not at goal, 26% had low HDL-C levels, and 38% had elevated triglycerides.

However, lipid levels were assessed using ESC guidelines. Patients in the study also had other cardiovascular conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of premature CV disease or had coronary heart disease, among others.

Anselm Gitt, lead investigator and vice director of the myocardial infarction research institute, said: “Statins are the cornerstone of cardiovascular disease prevention and decrease LDL-C levels, and these results suggest that we may need to do more to better manage lipid levels. We believe that improving all lipid parameters may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.