Achieving National Cholesterol Education Program goals in coronary artery disease.
National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines recommend low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels <100 mg/dL for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and lipid-lowering therapy if LDL-C remains >100-130 mg/dL after dietary intervention. Studies consistently report that the majority of CAD patients do not achieve NCEP goals in clinical practice; we sought to determine if our practice fared better. We performed a retrospective chart review of 600 CAD patients followed by cardiologists. The mean age was 69, and 66% of patients were male. Of persons with a cardiology clinic lipid profile (60%), most (76%) achieved an LDL-C <100 mg/dL; however, only 61% were treated to the NCEP secondary goal of non-HDL-C <130 mg/dL. Of patients not at an LDL-C goal, 81% were on lipid-lowering therapy, but only 18% were on maximal statin doses and 6% on combination therapy. We concluded that the majority of CAD patients have had recent lipid measurements and are treated according to NCEP guidelines, but many patients remain on suboptimal therapy.
Rondina
Matthew T
MT
The Heart Center, 1160 East 3900 South, Suite 2000, Salt Lake City, UT 84124, USA.
Zebrack
James S
JS
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011336:Probability; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL