{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.049528301886792456, 'fraction_numerical': 0.02653301886792453, 'mean_word_length': 4.370253164556962, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 2, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Room for improvement: Initiation of lipid lowering treatment and achievement of lipid target levels - a Danish registry-based study.

AIMS
Prevention of adverse outcomes in individuals with high cholesterol levels may be improved by intensified lipid lowering treatment (LLT). We studied whether treatment goals of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were reached within one year from baseline (defined as first LDL-C measurement) in a Danish population.


METHODS AND RESULTS
Danish registries were used to identify all persons in the Northern Region of Denmark who had LDL-C measured between 1997-2012 and who were naïve to LLT. Patients were categorized in LDL-C <5 or ≥ 5 mmol/L and further subdivided into low, high, and very high predicted cardiovascular (CV)-risk as suggested by European guidelines for risk stratification. Initiation of LLT and lipid target levels were assessed after one year (3.0, 2.5 and 1.8 mmol/L, respectively).In this study we examined the intensity of LLT and whether treatment goals were reached. More patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/L, regardless of the CV-risk, initiated LLT compared with patients who had a very high CV-risk and LDL-C <5 mmol/l. In total 37.7% (n = 32,581) of all patients with a follow-up LDL-C, and 25.1% (n = 3,229) of patients with LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l, had achieved their target levels after one year. Only 45.2% (n = 4,545) of the LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l high risk patients with a follow up LDL-C had started LLT 12 months after baseline.


CONCLUSION
Less than half of patients presenting with an LDL-C ≥5 mmol/l start LLT within one year, representing a missed opportunity for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.