- In 2013, new guidelines were issued for managing cholesterol to reduce the risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiac disease (ASCVD)
- In a new study, researchers analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2016, which looked at 11,033 outpatient visits from adults with ASCVD.
- Less than half of the people seen with ASCVD were prescribed statins and aspirin or received lifestyle counseling in 2016.
- Healthcare professionals were less likely to prescribe ASCVD prevention treatments for female and non-Hispanic Black people.
In 2013, the
ASCVD is a collective term referring to disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, and peripheral artery disease. More than
The 2013 revamped guidelines expanded the groups eligible for statin therapy to all adults with known ASCVD regardless of individual low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Some experts described the 2013 guidelines as a fundamental shift in how doctors treat high cholesterol.
Under the new guidelines, one study estimated the number of adults eligible for statins, drugs that can lower blood cholesterol, would increase by 12.8 million. ,
However, in a recent study published in
Since treatment with low dose aspirin had been previously recommended for secondary prevention in patients with ASCVD, the researchers also looked at the percentage of patients who were prescribed aspirin. They found less than half of the patients were…
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