Current lipid lowering treatment and attainment of LDL targets recommended by ESC/EAS guidelines in very high-risk patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: Insights from the START registry.

BACKGROUND

Current European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) guidelines for the management of dyslipidemias have further reduced low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets, as compared to the guidelines released in 2016. These targets are particularly restraining for patients at very high risk (VHR).

METHODS

Using the data from a nationwide, prospective registry on patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), we sought to assess: 1) the contemporary use of conventional cholesterol-lowering therapies and the achievement of LDL-C goals according to previous and current ESC guidelines in subjects at VHR; 2) the proportion of VHR patients potentially eligible for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor (PCSK9i) treatment.

RESULTS

Among the 5053 patients with data available, 4751 (94.0%) were deemed as VHR. Among these patients, the mean LDL-C levels were 62.4 ± 47.7 mg/dl at enrollment. A high dose of statin was used in 54.9%, while the association of high dose statin and ezetimibe was prescribed in 4.8% of VHR patients. A target level of LDL-C < 70 mg/dl recommended by 2016 ESC guidelines was reached by 58.1%, while a target of <55 mg/dl and LDL-C reduction ≥50% recommended by 2019 ESC guidelines, would be reached by 3.2% of patients at VHR. Accordingly, 9.4% and 1.4% of VHR patients would be eligible for PCSK9i according to ESC guidelines and Italian regulations, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In VHR patients enrolled in this large cohort of established ASCVD managed by cardiologists, the lipid management and LDL-C targets attainment is largely suboptimal.