To study the prescription patterns and adequacy of use of statins at a tertiary care center of North India

Abstract

Background: The role and benefits of lipid-lowering drugs in active management of dyslipidemia are well established. However, a little is known about whether these drugs are prescribed as per the recent guidelines and the desired effect is achieved or not in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescription patterns and adequacy of use of statins at a tertiary care hospital. Patients and Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years eligible to receive statin therapy for primary or secondary prevention according to the American Heart Association 2018 guidelines were included in the study. Clinical records of all the cases were reviewed for indications of statins, and lipid profile was done at baseline and after 3 months of statin therapy. Results: There were 140 men and 103 women with a mean age of 52.24 ± 12.01 years. 109 (44.9%) patients received statins for primary prevention, whereas 134 (55.1%) patients received statins for secondary prevention. A total of 179 (73.7%) and 64 (26.3%) patients each received atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. 81.9% of the study population received statins according to the guidelines. After 3 months of statin therapy, there was a statistically significant change in the lipid profile in both primary and secondary prevention groups. Conclusions: There are some irrational prescribing practices among physicians affecting the performance of statin therapy in primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A need to rationalize the prescription practices by keeping abreast with the latest recommendations as well as effective patient counseling and education seems warranted.