Use of statins in india: a survey to understand the prescribing patterns of physicians in india- score study

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is primarily treated by statins. The present survey was conducted to understand the prescribing practices of physicians and cardiologists in managing patients of dyslipidemia with various statins. Methods: This was a prospective, cross sectional, questionnaire-based survey of Indian physicians and cardiologists managing the patients of dyslipidemia with statins. The questionnaire consisting of 10 questions related to the use of statins in the management of dyslipidemia in real-world clinical settings was prepared, validated and then administered to physicians and cardiologists attending CSI 2016. Results: Responses from 358 physicians and cardiologists were received. Compared to other statins, most physicians experienced maximum reduction in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (56.7%), triglycerides (47.2%) and maximum increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (48.3%) with rosuvastatin. Rosuvastatin was reported as the most preferred statin by the physicians in their clinical practice for primary prevention (50.6%) and secondary prevention (49.4%) of CVD followed by atorvastatin (38.5% and 31%, respectively). Physicians preferred rosuvastatin over atorvastatin in patients with diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome (53.4% vs 27.7%), while atorvastatin was preferred over rosuvastatin in patients with chronic kidney disease (44.4% vs 32.4%) and chronic heart failure (46.9% vs 34.6%). Amongst the statins, the highest dose tolerable was that of rosuvastatin 40 mg (39.9%). Conclusion: The survey findings suggest that rosuvastatin was the most preferred stat in among cardiologists and physicians, followed by atorvastatin in the management of patients with hyperlipidaemia and for primary and secondary prevention of CVD.