Enliven: Clinical Cardiology and Research

Statins are the standard of care in the management of hypercholesterolemia and there is extensive clinical evidence demonstrating their efficacy in lowering LDL cholesterol and decreasing cardiovascular risk. However, several trials have shown that non-adherence to statin therapy is a relative common issue that may lead to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Side effects, mostly myalgias, are in general cited as the most common cause of statin discontinuation but other factors may include unfounded fear of side effects, low education and/or low socioeconomic status, patient desire for alternative and/or natural medicines, multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy. Furthermore, age and ethnicity may also play a role in adherence to statins. We performed an observational, cross-sectional study monitoring adherence to statins in 445 patients of Dominican decent in an outpatient setting in a Cardiovascular Clinic and a Lipid Clinic (located in the same medical building).The rate of non-adherence to statins was 24.49% and non-adherence was more common among the patients seen in the Cardiovascular Clinic, as compared to those seen in Lipid Clinic. The most common causes of nonadherence were forgetting to take the medication, fear of side effects, true reported side effects and running out of medication or refills. Other contributing factors are also discussed in detail in our manuscript. These factors need to be considered in devising approaches to enhance adherence to guideline-based therapies.