[Therapeutic approach to dyslipidemia and goal achievement in a Spanish population with type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the therapeutic approach and lipid goal achievement in a spanish diabetic population at high cardiovascular risk.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A multicenter, descriptive, cross-sectional study consecutively recruited the first 10 patients who attended the primary care office and had been seen in the 12 months prior to the study visit. Inclusion criteria were type 2 diabetes without cardiovascular disease, LDL cholesterol levels ≤160mg/dL, triglyceride levels ≤600mg/dL, and at least one of the following: retinopathy, albuminuria, current smoking, or hypertension.

RESULTS

A total of 2412 patients were evaluated (aged 61.3±8.3 years, 46.8% women, diabetes duration 8.6±7.4 years). As compared to the previous visit (8.1±5 months before), the proportion of patients who achieved LDL-C levels <100mg/dL (22.7% vs 28.6%), non-HDL-C levels <130mg/dL (27.7% vs 33.8%) and both goals (17.6% vs 22.1%) significantly increased at the time of assessment. Statins were the most widely prescribed lipid-lowering drugs (65.5%) and the lipid-lowering drug was changed from the previous visit in 38.7% of patients, drug dosage was increased in 17.3%, and another drug was added in 5%.

CONCLUSION

Use of more potent statins and higher statin doses were the most commonly used therapeutic strategies for improving control of dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes, but these changes were clearly inadequate to achieve lipid goals in most patients with type 2 diabetes.