Statins are commonly prescribed to help lower high lipid levels and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. But according to a new study, they are not being prescribed as readily to adults under the age of 40 who suffer from high LDL cholesterol.  

David A. Zidar, MD, of University Hospitals of Cleveland Medical Center, and colleagues found that less than 45 percent of adults younger than 40 with LDL cholesterol levels of 190 mg/dL or greater receive a prescription for a statin.

Zidar and his team examined rates of statin prescription in patients screened for dyslipidemia to identify treatment gaps. They used a national clinical registry that gathered data from inpatient and outpatient encounters from 360 medical centers in all 50 states, including all patients between 20 and 75 years old who had both LDL cholesterol and pharmacy records reported between July 1, 2013 and July 31, 2016.

From that patient grouping, 3.8 percent had an LDL cholesterol level of 190 mg/dL or greater. The statin prescription rate for patients with severe dyslipidemia but without diabetes or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) was 66 percent.

It was also noted that statin prescription rates for patients varied sharply by age. Statins were prescribed in only 32 percent, 47 percent, and 61 percent of patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s, respectively.

“This finding has particular relevance given the early onset of ASCVD and cardiovascular death observed infamilial hypercholesterolemia studies from the pre-statin era,” the authors write. “Specific interventions that optimize the follow-up of younger patients after lipid screening may be needed to realize the potential for improved survival and cost reduction associated with the treatment of severe dyslipidemia.”