Prevalence of lipid abnormalities and cholesterol target value attainment in patients with stable coronary heart disease or an acute coronary syndrome in Saudi Arabia.

To provide an overview of the extent of hyperlipidemia in very high-risk patients, and how lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is used in a real-world setting. Methods: In this multicenter observational study, data were collected from LLT-treated patients with stable CHD or an ACS in Saudi Arabia between 2013 and 2014. Individuals were included if they were greater than 18 years and had a full lipid profile available, recorded either prior to the baseline physician visit (CHD patients) or within 24-hours of admission to hospital (ACS patients).  Results: A total of 737 patients were included in the study, 597 with stable CHD and 140 with ACS. Few patients in either group had an LDL-C level of greater than 70 mg/dl, which is advocated for very high-risk patients (24.3% and 11.4%, respectively). The median distances to this value were 19.0 mg/dl (CHD) and 25.0 mg/dl (ACS). Low doses of statins were being utilized (31 and 24 mg/day for CHD and ACS, respectively), with only minimal intensification for the ACS patients after hospital admission (41 mg/day at follow-up). Conclusions: Achievement of recommended LDL-C levels was poor for patients with stable CHD or an ACS. Statin intensity was low, indicating huge scope for intensifying the treatment of these very high-risk patients.