Real-world evidence evaluation of LDL-C among hospitalized patients: a population-based observational study in the timeframe 2021-2022

Abstract

Aims. European registries and retrospective cohorts highlighted the lack of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement in many very high-risk patients. Hospitalized patients are often frail, and frailty is associated with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Aim of this study is to evaluate LDL-C levels in a Real-World setting of inpatients, identify cardiovascular risk categories and highlight treatment gaps in the implementation of LDL-C control.
Methods. This retrospective, observational study included all the adult patients admitted at an Italian hospital between 2021-2022 and with LDL-C values available during hospitalization. Disease-related real-world data were collected from Hospital Information Systems using automated data extraction strategies and through the implementation of a patient-centered data repository (the Dyslipidemia Data Mart). Assessment of cardiovascular risk profiles, LDL-C target achievement according to the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines and lipid-lowering therapies (LLT) use were performed.
Results. 13,834 patients were included: 17.15%, 13.72%, 16.82% and 49.76% were low (L), moderate (M), high (H) and very high-risk (VH) patients, respectively. The percentage of in-target patients was progressively lower moving towards worse categories (78.79% in L, 58.38% in M, 33.3% in H and 21.37% in VH). Among LLT treated patients in VH category, in-target are 28.48%; 47.6.% in H, 69.12% in M and 68.47% in L. The impact of monotherapies and combination therapies on target achievement was also analyzed.
Conclusions. This study depicts LDL-C control among an entire population of inpatients, highlighting relevant gaps especially in VH category. Future efforts must aim to reduce the cardiovascular risk of these subjects.