Status of lipid-lowering therapy prescribedbased on recommendations in the 2002 report of the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperlipidemia in Japanese Adults: A study of the Japan Lipid Assessment Program (J-LAP).

BACKGROUND

In its 1997 Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperlipidemia in Japanese Adults and subsequent revisions, the Japan10 Atherosclerosis Society (JAS) recommends serum lipid management goals (SLMGs) based on a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk classification. A literature search revealed that the status of lipid-lowering therapy based on the current JAS recommendations in Japan has not been assessed.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of current lipid-lowering 10 regimens, and to provide the best possible therapeutic strategies for patients with hyperlipidemia by identifying risk factors for the development of CHD, based on the current JAS recommendations.

METHODS

This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted using data 10 from patients under the care of physicians at 12,500 randomly selected institutions across Japan. Physicians received a survey concerning lipid-lowering therapy, on which each physician provided data from 10 consecutive adult patients with hyperlipidemia who had been prescribed lipid-lowering therapy for at least 3 months before the survey was administered, and who were undergoing routine follow-up on an outpatient basis. Physicians provided patients' demographic and clinical data, including JAS-defined CHD risk classification coronary risk factors and pre- and posttreatment (after ≥3 months) serum lipid levels, and the types and dosages of drugs in patients' current and prior treatment regimens. These data were used to assess the efficacy of lipid-lowering regimens and rates of patients achieving the SLMGs recommended by the JAS.

RESULTS

A total of 2540 physicians participated in the survey, and data from 10 24,893 Japanese patients (mean [SD] age, 65.8 [10.5] years) with hyperlipidemia were included in the study. Patients with familial hyperlipidemia (845/24,893 [3.4%]) were excluded from most of the analyses, leaving 24,048 patients with primary hyperlipidemia. The most prevalent coronary risk factors included age (21,902 [91.1%]), hypertension (14,275 [59.4%]), diabetes mellitus type 2 and/or impaired glucose tolerance (6346 [26.4%]), and smoking (3841 [16.0%]). A total of 20,948 patients (87.1%) had a CHD risk classification of B (ie, ≥1 coronary risk factor but no history of CHD). At the time of the survey, the lipid-lowering regimens of 22,080 patients (91.8%) included a statin. The rates of achievement of SLMGs were as follows: total cholesterol (TC), 12,659/23,840 patients (53.1%); low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), 14,025/22,121 (63.4%); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 19,702/21,279 (92.6%); and triglycerides (TG), 14,892/ 23,569 (63.2%). TC and LDL-C goals were achieved by most patients (≥61.1%) in risk categories A, B1, and B2 (ie, 0-2 coronary risk factors; low to moderate risk) but by a low percentage of patients (≤45.4%) in risk categories B3, B4, and C (ie, ≥3 coronary risk factors or history of CHD; high risk). In the high-risk group (n = 10,515), the TC goal was achieved by 4059 patients (38.6%). The TC and LDL-C goals were achieved by significantly higher percentages of patients prescribed atorvastatin (5133/7928 [64.7%] and 5487/7426 [73.9%], respectively) compared with the rates of patients prescribed any other statin at the recommended starting doses (all, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study of Japanese patients undergoing lipid-lowering 10 therapy for the prevention of CHD, prescribed based on the recommendations in the JAS guideline, suggest insufficient reduction of TC, LDL-C, and TG in patients at high risk for CHD and the need for more aggressive lipid-lowering therapy in such patients.