Compliance with lipid-lowering therapy and its impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality
- 4 November 2008
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Informa Healthcare in Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
- Vol. 7 (6), 717-725
- https://doi.org/10.1517/14740330802396984
Abstract
Background: Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Objective: Treatment with hypolipidemic agents reduces the risk of vascular events both in primary and secondary prevention. Although compliance with lipid-lowering therapy is an important determinant of cardiovascular clinical outcomes, relatively little attention is being paid to this issue by physicians. Methods: We searched the literature using Pubmed up to 5 August 2008. Results: Compliance with lipid-lowering therapy is poor in clinical practice, especially in primary prevention. As many as 6 out of 10 patients may stop taking statins during the first 6 months following initiation of treatment. Poor compliance has been associated with worse clinical outcome and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Importantly, statin withdrawal may be even worse compared with not taking statins at all. Several strategies may increase treatment adherence. Conclusions: Poor compliance with lipid-lowering treatment is an important health issue that has been associated with unfavorable cardiovascular outcome. Increasing adherence rates should become a major concern for physicians.Keywords
This publication has 72 references indexed in Scilit:
- Impact of Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs on Adherence to Prescription MedicationsJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2008
- Ezetimibe-associated adverse effects: what the clinician needs to knowInternational Journal of Clinical Practice, 2007
- Long-Term Follow-up of the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention StudyNew England Journal of Medicine, 2007
- Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases With Statin TherapyArchives of Internal Medicine, 2006
- Value of low dose combination treatment with blood pressure lowering drugs: analysis of 354 randomised trialsBMJ, 2003
- Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III)JAMA, 2001
- Effects of ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists, and other blood-pressure-lowering drugs: results of prospectively designed overviews of randomised trialsThe Lancet, 2000
- Persistence of Use of Lipid-Lowering MedicationsJAMA, 1998
- Compliance and adverse event withdrawal: their impact on the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention StudyEuropean Heart Journal, 1997
- Discontinuation of Antihyperlipidemic Drugs — Do Rates Reported in Clinical Trials Reflect Rates in Primary Care Settings?New England Journal of Medicine, 1995