Achievement of long-term lipid targets in a cohort of patients with acute coronary syndrome in real-world clinical practice

Introduction and objectives: According to the recent European epidemiological studies, the degree of lipid control in patients with very high vascular risk is suboptimal. This study analyzes the epidemiological characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, lipid profile, recurrence, and degree of achievement of long-term lipid targets, according to the ESC/EAS Guidelines, in a cohort of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a real-world clinical practice setting.

Methods: This work is a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with ACS admitted to the Coronary Unit of a tertiary hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015 and followed-up on until March 2022.

Results: A total of 826 patients were studied. During the follow-up period, greater prescribing of combined lipid-lowering therapy was observed, mainly high- and moderate-intensity statins and ezetimibe. At 24 months after the ACS, 33.6% of living patients had LDL levels <70 mg/dl and 9.3% had LDL levels <55 mg/dl. At the end of the follow-up (101 [88-111] months), the corresponding figures were 54.5% and 21.1%. Some 22.1% of patients had a recurrent coronary event and only 24.6% achieved an LDL level <55 mg/dl.

Conclusions: Achievement of the LDL targets recommended by the ESC/EAS guidelines is suboptimal in patients with ACS, both at two years and in the long-term (7-10 years), especially in patients with recurrent ACS.