Differences in achieving treatment goals with statin use in various regions of Poland – 3ST-POL study results
Introduction and objective Dyslipidemia is the most common factor leading to ischemic heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death. The use of statins is the most important preventative measure of ischemic heart disease; however, their efficacy in patients in Poland is still too low. T...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Institute of Rural Health
2015-12-01
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Series: | Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.journalssystem.com/aaem/Differences-in-achieving-treatment-goals-with-statin-use-in-various-regions-of-Poland-3ST-POL-study-results,72386,0,2.html |
Summary: | Introduction and objective
Dyslipidemia is the most common factor leading to ischemic heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death. The use of statins is the most important preventative measure of ischemic heart disease; however, their efficacy in patients in Poland is still too low. The purpose of this study was to evaluate regional differences in achieving treatment goals in total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol levels in patients treated with statins on an outpatient basis.
Material and Methods
A survey was used to evaluate efficacy of treatment, completed by 49,950 patients in Poland treated with statins in 2008. The territory of Poland was divided into 4 research regions: the Northeast (NE), Northwest (NW), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW) regions.
Results
The largest group of patients resided in the SW region, the smallest in the SE region. Participants of the study suffered from hypercholesterolemia, on average, for at least a year before completing the study survey. Effective treatment leading to achievement of target TC was observed in less than 10% of the patients. Rate of achievement of target cholesterol levels was highest in the NE region, lowest in the NW region. Cardiologists were more successful in achieving therapeutic goals than GPs. Similar correlations between regions and doctors’ specializations were observed for LDL values.
Conclusions
Significant differences in the efficacy of treatment with statins were observed among the study group and were evaluated based on achievement of target TC and LDL cholesterol levels. Better results achieved in the NE region may be because the region includes the Masovian province, which is the most economically developed region in Poland. |
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ISSN: | 1232-1966 1898-2263 |