title: Patient characteristics and statin discontinuation-related factors during treatment of hypercholesterolemia: an observational non-interventional study in patients with statin discontinuation (STAY study).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to identify patient characteristics and statin discontinuation-related factors in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 532 patients (age mean±SD: 57.4±11.5 years; 52.4% women, 47.6% men) with hypercholesterolemia and statin discontinuation were included in this national cross-sectional non-interventional observational study. Data on socio-demographic characteristics of patients, cardiovascular risk factors, past treatment with and discontinuation of statin treatment were collected in one visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean±SD duration of hypercholesterolemia was 4.9±4.2 years at time of discontinuation of statin treatment. Statin treatment was initiated by cardiologists in the majority of cases (55.8%), whereas discontinuation of statin treatment was decided by patients in the majority of cases (73.7%), with patients with higher (at least secondary education, 80.4%) more likely than those with lower (only primary education, 69.7%) to decide to discontinue treatment (p=0.022). Negative information about statin treatment disseminated by TV programs-mostly regarding coverage of hepatic (38.0%), renal (33.8%), and muscular (32.9%) side effects (32.9%)-was the most common reason for treatment discontinuation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decision to discontinue statin treatment was made at the patient's discretion in 74% of cases, with higher likelihood of patients with higher educational status deciding to discontinue treatment and switch to non-drug lipid-lowering alternatives. Cardiologists were the physicians most frequently responsible for the initiation of the statin treatment; coverage of several non-life-threatening statin side effects by TV programs and patients' lack of information regarding high cholesterol and related risks were the leading factors predisposing to treatment discontinuation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. lalet@hacettepe.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Lale
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tokgözoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, İnonü University Faculty of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Özdemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diyarbakır Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rojhat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Altındağ
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Aydın, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ceyhun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ceyhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ekrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yeter
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık Private Middle East Health Center, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cihan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Öztürk
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fahri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Delibaşı
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Değertekin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Hakan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dinçkal
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: İbrahim
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Akademi Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Serdar
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fak
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Turkish High Specialty Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydoğdu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cafer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zorkun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ataşehir Memorial Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tartan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014421:Turkey; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors