Prior surveys in hospitals found that statins are not being used consistently in patients who have been admitted to the hospital following a heart attack or stroke. Researchers also found that when the medication is prescribed, dosing is likely not as high as it should be to provide optimal benefits.
Researchers examined more than 62,000 records of patients from the Intermountain Healthcare system between 1999 and 2013 who survived an initial atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event, such as a heart attack or stroke. They were then followed for three years or until death to identify the effectiveness of statin use prescribed at the time of their discharge.
“Patients who were prescribed a statin medication following an initial heart attack or stroke reduced their risk of a future adverse event such as a future heart attack, stroke, revascularization, or death by almost 25%—the rate dropped from 34% to 26%,” said Jeffrey L. Anderson, MD, a cardiovascular researcher at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute. “The patients who were discharged on what is considered a high-intensity dose of a statin saw a 21% reduction in their risk,” compared with those discharged on a low-intensity statin dose.”
Investigators found that 30% of patients in the study who were discharged from the hospital following a heart attack or stroke were not prescribed a statin. This factor led to worse outcomes for those patients.
Researchers also found that only 13% of patients were given a high-intensity dose of statins, but noted that patients on those higher doses experienced fewer heart attacks or strokes. For patients younger than age 76, a high-intensity statin is indicated, according to American Heart Association guidelines. Only 17.7% of these patients were discharged on a high-intensity dose, however.