Exploring Contemporary Data on Lipid-Lowering Therapy Prescribing in Patients Following Discharge for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the South of Italy

Current international guidelines strongly recommend the use of high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) after hospitalization for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events. With this study, our aim was to evaluate LLT prescribing in a large Italian cohort of patients after discharge for an ASCVD event, exploring factors associated with a lower likelihood of receiving any LLT and high-intensity LLT. Individuals aged 18 years and older discharged for an ASCVD event in 2019-2020 were identified using hospital discharge abstracts from two local health units of the Campania region. LLT treatment patterns were analyzed in the 6 months after the index event. Logistic regression models were developed for estimating patient predictors of any LLT prescription and to compare high-intensity and low-to-moderate-intensity LLT. Results: A total of 8705 subjects were identified. In the 6 months post-discharge, 56.7% of patients were prescribed LLT and, of those, 48.7% were high-intensity LLT. Female sex, older age, and stroke/TIA or PAD conditions were associated with a higher likelihood of not receiving high-intensity LLT. Similar predictors were found for LLT prescriptions. LLT utilization and the specific use of high-intensity LLT remain low in patients with ASCVD, suggesting a substantial unmet need among these patients in the contemporary real-world setting.