Lipid-lowering therapy in patients with myocardial infarction (pharmacoepidemiological study)

To evaluate the changes in statin utilization over 5 years in patients with a history of myocardial infarction in Moscow.

Material and methods

We conducted a retrospective two-stage pharmacoepidemiology study. Compliance of statin treatment with the current guidelines for the secondary prevention after myocardial infarction was studied in 752 and 825 patients with myocardial infarction, who visited tertriary outpatient clinic in 2006 and 2011, respectively.

Results

.Over 5 years, a rate of statin prescriptions in outpatients with myocardial infarction increased significantly from 31,7% to 69,5%. In 2011, atorvastatin and simvastatin remained the most widely prescribed statins (45,6% and 43,3%, respectively). There was also an increase in a percentage of patients who received the higher doses of atorvastatin and simvastatin (20 mg and 40 mg). However, the target levels of LDL cholesterols were not achieved in more than half of patients.

Conclusion

Over 5 years, we have found an increase in the rate of statins prescriptions and the utilization of the higher doses of statins in outpatients with a history of myocardial infarction. However, still not all patients were covered by adequate hypolipidemic treatment.

Key words

Pharmacoepidemiology, myocardial infarction, statins.