Data from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry showed that patients with established CVD remain at high risk for recurrent ischemic events.1 Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide, with heart disease, stroke, and hypertension ranking among the top causes in the USA.2
Patients with established CVD in the REACH registry were at the highest risk of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular (CV) event within the first year of the index event.2 Even patients who are event-free in the year following the index event remain at significant risk for future events, with event rates after MI increasing even years after the index event.3-6
Reach Registry: international, observational, prospective cohort of 68,236 patients at risk for
atherothrombotic events. 45,227 patients from 29 countries in the REACH registry
completed the 4-year analysis. 77% of the patients in this group were on ≥ 1 lipid-lowering drug.
CV, cardiovascular; MI, myocardial infarction; REACH, Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health.
Retrospective observational study based on used administrative claims from the HealthCore Integrated Research
Database (HIRD). The HIRD contains longitudinal medical
and pharmacy claims data for approximately 33 million members from 14 commercial health plans across the USA.
The study included patients age 18 to 64 years with a
diagnosis of hyperlipidemia or use of lipid-modifying medications from January 1, 2007, to December 31,
2008.
*Patients with a history of a CV event, including MI, stroke, UA, CABG, or PCI.
CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; CV, cardiovascular; MI, myocardial infarction; PCI, percutaneous coronary
intervention; UA, unstable angina.
In this retrospective study examining the burden of CV events, 79% of patients who had a prior CV event (n = 7,024) experienced another CV event that required hospitalization during 2-year follow-up.7 In-patient hospitalization was on average 5.8 days and cost $31,320.7
A U.S. longitudinal registry examining employment status found that 1-in-10 patients reported an adverse change in employment within 1 year following a MI, and nearly half of these patients reported involuntary job loss such as being laid off or no longer working due to their health and disability.9
Studies show that despite optimal treatment with lipid-lowering agents including statins, niacin and fibrates, significant residual CV risk remains regardless of dose and treatment setting.1
*Patients who received non-lipid lowering therapy.
CV, cardiovascular; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) following high-intensity lipid-lowering treatment are associated with additional reductions in CV risk in patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, landmark statin trials demonstrated that even patients who achieve lower LDL-C levels (62-81 mg/dL) remain at risk for future CV events.1-5
*Mean or median LDL-C after treatment.
CV, cardiovascular; CVD, cardiovascular disease; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.