Prospective evaluation of lipid management following acute coronary syndrome in non-Western countries

Appropriateness of Dyslipidemia Management Strategies in Post-Acute Coronary Syndrome: A 2023 Update

It has been consistently demonstrated that circulating lipids and particularly low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) play a significant role in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Several trials have been focused on the reduction of LDL-C values in order to interfere with atherothrombotic progression. Importantly, for patients who experience acute coronary syndrome (ACS), there is a 20% likelihood of cardiovascular (CV) event recurrence within the two years following the index event. Moreover, the mortality within five years remains considerable, ranging between 19 and 22%. According to the latest guidelines, one of the main goals to achieve in ACS is an early improvement of the lipid profile. The evidence-based lipid pharmacological strategy after ACS has recently been enhanced. Although novel lipid-lowering drugs have different targets, the result is always the overexpression of LDL receptors (LDL-R), increased uptake of LDL-C, and lower LDL-C plasmatic levels. Statins, ezetimibe, and PCSK9 inhibitors have been shown to be safe and effective in the post-ACS setting, providing a consistent decrease in ischemic event recurrence. However, these drugs remain largely underprescribed, and the consistent discrepancy between real-world data and guideline recommendations in terms of achieved LDL-C levels represents a leading issue in secondary prevention. Although the cost-effectiveness of these new therapeutic advancements has been clearly demonstrated, many concerns about the cost of some newer agents continue to limit their use, affecting the outcome of patients who experienced ACS. In spite of the fact that according to the current recommendations, a stepwise lipid-lowering approach should be adopted, several more recent data suggest a "strike early and strike strong" strategy, based on the immediate use of statins and, eventually, a dual lipid-lowering therapy, reducing as much as possible the changes in lipid-lowering drugs after ACS. This review aims to discuss the possible lipid-lowering strategies in post-ACS and to identify those patients who might benefit most from more powerful treatments and up-to-date management.

A Systematic Review of Lipid Management in Secondary Prevention and Comparison of International Lipid Management Pathways

Acute coronary syndrome remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite significant improvements in its prevention and management. Lipid management and other risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and sedentary lifestyle stratification is the key to minimising this risk. Lipid management is an important part of secondary prevention and patients are historically undertreated after post-acute coronary syndrome. We performed a narrative review on observational studies on lipid management pathways post ACS on PubMed, Google Scholar, Journal Storage and ScienceDirect and excluded case reports, case series and randomized controlled trials. Our review showed that most patients following acute coronary syndrome receive suboptimal treatment for hypercholesterolemia. The role of statin in reducing future cardiac events risk is undisputable, however, statin intolerance remains a major concern. There is substantial variation in the management of lipids in patients following an acute cardiac event and patients were followed up in primary care in some countries and secondary care in others. The mortality risk is significantly high in patients with second or recurrent cardiac events and future cardiac events are associated with higher morbidity and mortality risk. There is significant variation in lipid management pathways in patients who suffer from cardiac events across the globe and lipid therapy optimization remains suboptimal in these patients, putting them at future risk of cardiovascular events. It is therefore imperative to optimally manage dyslipidemia in these patients in order to minimize the risk of subsequent cardiac events. Cardiac rehabilitation programs might be a way forward to incorporate lipid management for patients discharged from the hospital after having acute coronary events for lipid therapy optimization.

Prospective evaluation of lipid management following acute coronary syndrome in non-Western countries

Background

Half the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is concentrated in the Asia‐Pacific (APAC) region.

Hypothesis

Suboptimal control of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) may play a large role in the burden of CVD in APAC and non‐Western countries.

Methods

The Acute Coronary Syndrome Management (ACOSYM) registry is a multinational, multicenter, prospective observational registry designed to evaluate LDL‐C control in patients within 6 months after hospitalization following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event across nine countries.

Results

Overall, 1581 patients were enrolled, of whom 1567 patients met the eligibility criteria; 80.3% of the eligible patients were men, 46.1% had ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, and 39.5% had non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction. Most (1245; 79.5%) patients were discharged on a high‐intensity statin. During the follow‐up, only 992 (63.3%) patients had at least one LDL‐C measurement; of these, 52.9% had persistently elevated LDL‐C (>70 mg/dl). The patients not discharged on a high‐dose statin were more likely (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.1–4.8) to have an LDL‐C above the 70 mg/dl LDL‐C target compared with those who were discharged on a high‐dose statin.

Conclusion

Our real‐world registry found that a third or more of post‐ACS patients did not have a repeat LDL‐C follow‐up measurement. In those with an LDL‐C follow‐up measurement, more than half (52.9%) were not achieving a <70 mg/dl LDL‐C goal, despite a greater uptake of high‐intensity statin therapy than has been observed in recent evidence. This demonstrates the opportunity to improve post‐ACS lipid management in global community practice.