Hypercholesterolemia Treatment Falls Short of Guidelines
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 10, 2025 -- Pharmacologic treatment of hypercholesterolemia falls short of U.S. and European guidelines, according to a study published online June 30 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
G. Caleb Alexander, M.D., from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues projected anticipated improvements in treatment and outcomes of hypercholesterolemia under full implementation of U.S. and European pharmacologic treatment recommendations in a study of 4,980 adults aged 40 to 75 years from the 2013 through March 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The number of individuals eligible to receive versus currently receiving lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) was examined after applying the 2018 U.S. guideline, the 2019 European Union guideline, and the 2022 U.S. pathway.
The researchers found that 23 percent of the NHANES primary prevention cohort was currently using LLT compared with 47 percent eligible with the 2018 U.S. guideline/2022 U.S. pathway and 87 percent eligible with the 2019 EU guideline. For all therapies, the percentage with LLT use was significantly lower than the proportion of eligible patients. Based on the 2018 U.S. guideline, 2019 EU guideline, and 2022 U.S. pathway, the additional overall median reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol expected under fully guideline-concordant care was 37.2, 48.5, and 46.8 mg/dL, respectively, potentially yielding a 21 to 27 percent relative reduction in the risk for major cardiovascular events.
"These results add to a growing body of evidence that there are important shortcomings in the quality of care for common and costly chronic diseases such as high cholesterol, and that addressing those shortcomings would yield major public health benefits," Alexander said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, which partially funded the study.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2025
Read this next
Racialized Economic Segregation Linked to Advanced Cancer Diagnosis
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- People living in racially and economically segregated neighborhoods are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage breast and cervical cancer...
New Subtype of Diabetes Identified in Sub-Saharan Africans, Black Americans
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- A new diabetes subtype has been identified in Sub-Saharan Africans and Black Americans, according to a study published online July 21 in The Lancet...
Changes in Missouri Law Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Screening Rates
THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 -- Changes in Missouri law expanding breast cancer screening coverage have led to increased screening rates among Medicaid patients and an increased...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.