Statin Therapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Hungary

Aim: The benefit of statin administration in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is well documented. The aim of the study was to evaluate the characteristics of lipid lowering therapy and the attainment of target values.

Study Design: Retrospective data analysis.

Place and Duration of Study: Between 2009 and 2011, Hungary.

Methodology: The study was conducted on the patients with T2DM and established cardiovascular events of general practitioners and specialists from the MULTI GAP (MULTI Goal Attainment Problem) survey in Hungary using standardized, structured questionnaires. Data collection was performed in 2009 (1582 patients, 55.0% men), in 2010 (1159 patients, 58.4% men) and in 2011 (668 patients, 59.1% men).

Results: In this study all patients received statins, the most frequently used was atorvastatin, followed in 2009 by simvastatin and 2011 by rosuvastatin. Fibrates were taken by 9.3–11.3% of patients and ezetimibe by 8.0–15.9% of patients. The total cholesterol (TC) values in 2009, in 2010 and in 2011 were 5.27±1.23 mmol/l, 4.90±1.30 mmol/l, 4.88±1.29 mmol/l, respectively (p>0.05). The LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) values were 2.94±1.04 mmol/l, 2.73±0.95 mmol/l, 2.69±1.03 mmol/l, respectively (p>0.05). The proportion of patients at LDL-C target value of <2.5 mmol/l was 35.2%, 42.8%, 47.8% (p<0.001 vs values in 2009) while that of <1.8 mmol/l was 10.6%, 15.9% and 16.8%, respectively (p<0.001 vs values in 2009). There was a linear correlation between the patient compliance estimated by the physicians and the LDL-C achievement rate.

Conclusions: In 2009-2011, a slight improvement in serum cholesterol levels and a significant increase of patients at target TC or LDL-C values were documented among patients with T2DM and cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the authors find very important to improve the quality of lipid lowering treatment in order to increase the number of patients achieving their target lipid values.