Patient characteristics and statin discontinuation-related factors during treatment of hypercholesterolemia: an observational non-interventional study in patients with statin discontinuation (STAY study)

• Main Authors: Lale Tokgözoğlu (Author), Ramazan Özdemir (Author), Rojhat Altındağ (Author), Ceyhun Ceyhan (Author), Ekrem Yeter (Author), Cihan Öztürk (Author), Fahri Bayram (Author), Tuncay Delibaşı (Author), Muzaffer Değertekin (Author), Mustafa Hakan Dinçkal (Author), Ibrahim Keleş (Author), Ali Serdar Fak (Author), Sinan Aydogdu (Author), Cafer Zorkun (Author), Zeynep Tartan (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: KARE Publishing, 2016-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1016-5169; 10.5543/tkda.2015.47041
• Keywords: hypercholesterolemia; patient characteristics; predisposing factors; statin discontinuation; turkey; Medicine; R; Internal medicine; RC31-1245; Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system; RC666-701
• Source: Türk Kardiyoloji Derneği Arşivi, Vol 44, Iss 1, Pp 53-64 (2016)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify patient characteristics and statin discontinuation-related factors in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Methods: A total of 532 patients (age mean+-SD: 57.4+-11.5 years; 52.4% women, 47.6% men) with hypercholesterolemia and statin discontinuation were included in this national cross-sectional noninterventional observational study. Data on socio-demographic characteristics of patients, cardiovascular risk factors, past treatment with and discontinuation of statin treatment were collected in one visit. Results: Mean+-SD duration of hypercholesterolemia was 4.9+-4.2 years at time of discontinuation of statin treatment. Statin treatment was initiated by cardiologists in the majority of cases (55.8%), whereas discontinuation of statin treatment was decided by patients in the majority of cases (73.7%), with patients with higher (at least secondary education, 80.4%) more likely than those with lower (only primary education, 69.7%) to decide to discontinue treatment (p=0.022). Negative information about statin treatment disseminated by TV programs-mostly regarding coverage of hepatic (38.0%), renal (33.8%), and muscular (32.9%) side effects (32.9%)-was the most common reason for treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: The decision to discontinue statin treatment was made at the patient's discretion in 74% of cases, with higher likelihood of patients with higher educational status deciding to discontinue treatment and switch to non-drug lipid-lowering alternatives. Cardiologists were the physicians most frequently responsible for the initiation of the statin treatment; coverage of several non-lifethreatening statin side effects by TV programs and patients' lack of information regarding high cholesterol and related risks were the leading factors predisposing to treatment discontinuation.