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Statins

Statin Prescription Gaps Still Exist Among Patients With and Without HIV

New data presented at IDWeek 2018 shows there is no difference in the rate of how often statins are prescribed to patients with HIV and without HIV—even though those with HIV have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

 

The study, authored by Alison Blackman, PharmD, and colleagues, was presented on Saturday, October 6, at IDWeek 2018 in San Francisco.

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To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed data from 2 outpatient clinics in an urban, academic medical system. The researchers looked at records of patients who were eligible for a statin.

 

Data from 501 patients with HIV and 1625 without HIV were included in the analysis.

 

The data showed that 60.7% of participants with HIV and 65.7% of participants without HIV had been prescribed a statin, meaning there was no statistical difference in statin prescribing rates between the 2 groups.

 

There was a difference, however, in the level of prescribed statin intensity, with participants with HIV more likely to have received a medium-intensity statin and uninfected participants more likely to have received a high-intensity statin.

 

Participants with active-smoking status or a history of smoking, as well as those who were older, were more likely to have been prescribed a statin, but the researchers did not find participants’ HIV status to affect statin prescription within those benefit groups.

 

“[The study] demonstrates the statin gap is pertinent regardless of HIV status, and additional analysis is needed to investigate reasons for the gap in both populations,” the researchers concluded.

 

—Colleen Murphy

 

Reference:

Blackman A, Pandit NS, Pincus K. Comparing statin prescribing rates in eligible HIV vs non-HIV infected patients. Poster presented at: IDWeek 2018; October 3-7, 2018; San Francisco, CA. https://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2018/webprogram/Paper72252.html. Accessed October 20, 2018.