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The Peninsula
A Qatar University (QU) study that sampled 24,000 patients' files found that the prevalence of statin prescription to the sample population was 66% in Qatar, slightly above the global average.
The one-of-a-kind study was conducted to understand the commonness of statin prescription for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2dm).
The QU study published in the 18th issue of QU Research Magazine was carried out by Alaa Hasan Daban, PhD in Health Sciences, and supervised by Dr. Karam Adawi, Department Head of Public Health, and Prof. Manar Elhassan, Professor of Public Health (Co-supervisor) College of Health Sciences - Qatar University.
The survey, titled“The Prevalence of Statin Prescription for Primary Prevention of Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: The First Study on Patients with Diabetes in Qatar,” also discovered the prevalence was higher for older patients and males compared to females. Statin prescription was also higher for non-Qataris compared to Qatari people.
“In a multivariable model analysis and after controlling for other covariates in the model, statin prescription adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was positively associated with being male, having co-diagnosis of hypertension and being a former or current smoker. All of these factors are known to increase the risk of CVD. Additionally, statin prescription aOR was positively associated with an increase in the number of tablets or injections prescribed to the patient, a higher number of visits/year to PHCC and in patients with co-prescription of non-statin lipid-lowering medications.
“Unexpectedly, an increase in a person's body mass index (BMI) or co-prescription of aspirin was associated with a decreased aOR of statin prescription compared to persons with lower BMI or non-aspirin users. The study findings were not altered when we restricted the analysis to males or females only, Qatari or Non-Qatari only or to patients with more than two visits in the year 2019,” the report stated.
Statins effectively lower cholesterol and protect against heart attack and stroke. Statins help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as“bad” cholesterol, in the blood.
According to experts, even if circulating cholesterol is normal according to the numbers on a patient's blood test results, plaque in arteries may already indicate a risk for cardiovascular disease. Additional tests may show more conclusively that plaque build-up is a problem.
Due to this and other factors, cholesterol numbers may be considered normal, yet a patient may still be at an elevated risk for heart problems. As a result, statin medications are now used to lower the risk of heart disease and heart events in almost anyone at high risk.
The study is significant to healthcare in Qatar as it found a novel association between the number of tablets or injections that patients with T2dm received and the prescription of statins. Per the research, the“finding might reflect a heightened keenness of healthcare professionals to prescribe CVD preventive therapies as the treatment complexity increases. The study also highlighted the gender discrepancy in terms of lower probability of statin prescription for females compared to males, which is similar to the global trend.” More than 200 million people worldwide reportedly take statin drugs for their heart health.
The study has been hailed by Prof. Judith Gwathmey of Boston University School of Medicine described the study as“one of the best.” It was presented at the prestigious American College of Cardiology Conference and published in the American College of Cardiology Journal.