Objectives: To assess the proportion of high-risk coronary artery disease (CAD) patients who received lipid lowering drug treatment (LLDT) and met the LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) goal of 100 mg/dl defined by the third report of the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP).
Methods: In 86% (n = 1095) of the 1268 consecutive Italian patients, who were enrolled in the GENICA study after undergoing quantitative coronary angiography for suspected coronary artery disease between 1999 and 2001, the levels of total serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C were measured and accurate information on current LLDT were available. All patients were classified according to the NCEP.
Results: Seventy-four percent of the patients (n = 805) had established CAD and cardiovascular events and therefore were candidates for secondary prevention with LLDT; 69% of them had concomitant hyperlipidemia. Only 57% of the patients with CAD and hyperlipidemia were on LLDT. Of the 1052 patients who were at the highest risk class according to NCEP, only 34.2% and 16.7% were on LLDT and reached the LDL-C goal, respectively.
Conclusions: Only 1 patient of 6 in the highest-risk class according to the NCEP accomplished the LDL-C goal. Accordingly, in the field of secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, the implementation of guidelines that emerged from scientific evidence into clinical practice with LLDT still requires major efforts.