CDC: Only half of patients eligible for statin therapy actually taking a statin
ATLANTA — More than a third of American adults are eligible to take cholesterol-lowering medications under the current guidelines or were already taking them – but nearly half of them are not, according to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers published in last week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Blacks and Mexican Americans are less likely than whites to be taking cholesterol-lowering medications, the report noted.
“Nearly 800,000 people die in the U.S. each year from cardiovascular diseases – that’s one in every three deaths – and high cholesterol continues to be a major risk factor,” stated Carla Mercado, a scientist in CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. “This study reveals opportunities to reduce existing disparities through targeted patient education and cholesterol management programs.”
CDC researchers examined data from the 2005-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Overall, 36.7% of U.S. adults - 78.1 million people age 21 or older - were eligible for cholesterol-lowering medication or already taking it. Within this group, 55.5% were currently taking cholesterol-lowering medication and 46.6% reported making lifestyle changes; 37.1% reported making lifestyle modifications and taking medication, and 35.5% reported doing neither.
Gender, race, and ethnicity made a difference. Of:
40.8% of men eligible for or already on medication, 52.9% were taking medications;
32.9% of women eligible for or already on medication, 58.6% were taking medications;
24.2% of Mexican-Americans eligible for or already on medication, 47.1% were taking medications;
39.5% of blacks eligible for or already on medication, 46% were taking medications; and
38.4% of whites eligible for or already on medication, 58% were taking medications.
Blacks who did not have a routine place for health care had the lowest rate (5.7%) of taking recommended cholesterol-lowering medication. People who said they already had adopted a heart-healthy lifestyle (about 80%) were the group most likely to be taking cholesterol-lowering medication.
While the study included people taking all forms of cholesterol-lowering medication, nearly 90% of those receiving medication were taking a statin drug.
Data from 2007 through 2014 show a decline in the number of Americans with high blood levels of cholesterol. There also has been a recent increase in the use of cholesterol-lowering medications. But a high blood level of LDL cholesterol – also known as “bad” cholesterol - remains a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke in the United States.
Getting 65% of Americans to manage their high levels of LDL cholesterol by 2017 is one of the major targets of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts initiative to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes.
As many as 78.1 million Americans were already taking or are eligible for cholesterol-lowering medication.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend cholesterol-lowering medication for four groups of adults:
People with heart disease, a prior heart attack or some types of stroke, or angina;
People with LDL cholesterol levels of 190 mg/dL or more;
People ages 40 to 75 with diabetes and LDL cholesterol levels of 70-189 mg/dL; and
People ages 40-75 with LDL cholesterol levels of 70-189 mg/dL and an estimated 10-year risk of heart disease of 7.5% or more.