The efficiency of cardiovascular risk assessment: do the right patients get statin treatment?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate targeting of statin prescribing for primary prevention to those with high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Design

Two cohort studies including the general population and initiators of statins aged 35-74 years.

Setting

UK primary care records in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Patients

3.8 million general population patients and 300 914 statin users.

Intervention

Statin prescribing.

Main outcome measures

Statin prescribing by CVD risk; observed 5-year CVD risks; variability between practices.

Results

Statin prescribing increased substantially over time to patients with high 10-year CVD risk (≥ 20%): 7.0% of these received a statin prior to 2007, and 30.4% in 2007 onwards. Prescribing to patients with low risk

SUBMITTER: van Staa TP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3812879 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature