title: An assessment of the efficacy of atorvastatin in achieving LDL cholesterol target levels in patients with coronary heart disease: a general practice study.
abstract: Adherence to evidence-based guidelines for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been shown to be poor in a number of surveys. In this open-label, non-comparative 17-week trial, 399 patients with existing CHD and LDL cholesterol concentration > 3.4 mmol/l (130 mg/dl) were treated with atorvastatin 10 mg daily. After 5 weeks, the dose of atorvastatin was adjusted according to a patient's LDL cholesterol level. Of the 379 patients remaining in the study after five weeks of treatment, dose titration was not required for 355 patients (94%) who had reached the target LDL cholesterol of < or = 3.4 mmol/l. Of the 23 patients titrated to higher doses, 11 achieved the target LDL cholesterol after treatment for 17 weeks. Atorvastatin was well tolerated during the course of the study. Achieving LDL cholesterol targets without the need for dose titration simplifies clinical management and should encourage better adherence to evidence-based recommendations for secondary prevention of CHD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health and Primary Care, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Neil
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Eminton
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maton
mesh_terms: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D011758:Pyrroles; D000069059:Atorvastatin